


Journey of the Apprentice

by Stigmata_Angel



Category: Dragon Quest Builders (Video Games)
Genre: Canon - Video Game, F/M, Fights, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Funny, Game: Dragon Quest Builders 2, Light-Hearted, Malroth - Freeform, Monsters, Slow Build, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21691420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stigmata_Angel/pseuds/Stigmata_Angel
Summary: Stigmata is a carefree and naive builder that resides within the great city of Cantlin. Although the meaning of her name causes all those who bump into her to be wary of her intentions; all her life she has strived to become the best builder in the world, one that can even top the Legendary Builder, Angel. However, her dreams come crashing to an abrupt halt when she is kidnapped and enslaved on a ship belonging to the Children of Hargon, only to then crash up a strange island with no means of escape! Join Stigmata on her newest journey to better her skills as a builder and unite the power of Creation and Destruction! From a destructive boy who has amnesia, to an evil lord who is trying to destroy life as they know it...the fun is only beginning!!
Relationships: Builder/Malroth (Dragon Quest Builders 2), Female Builder/Malroth (Dragon Quest Builders 2)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 24





	1. Stigmata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A display of Stigmata's appearance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***NOT MY DRAWING***   
> **SIMPLY RECOLORED**  
> Credit: Pixiv Id 1867017

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***NOT MY DRAWING***  
> **SIMPLY RECOLORED**  
> Credit: Pixiv Id 1867017


	2. A New Start

Chapter 1- A New Start

  
  
  


Building.

  
  


It was the one thing that kept this ever-changing world growing more and more every day. The Power of Creation lingered within the hearts and souls of every living thing on Earth and inspired them to want to better their creations. From schools to churches, hotels to mansions; the Power of Creation was truly a most wondrous thing indeed.

  
  


Men, women, and children all rose early in the morning and rushed around the town of Cantlin as the sound of hammers hitting stone resonated throughout the town, and the familiar thud of blocks being stacked sent smiles to the faces of all who heard it. It was a beautiful day in Cantlin as usual, and one certain apprentice builder was marveling at all its glory.

  
  


Stigmata was but an apprentice builder, her name (which was very usual, everyone had to admit) did the girl no justice in displaying her actual personality. She always held a bright and dopey smile on her face, her two long pigtails were a vibrant violet and would bounce merrily with every step she took, her eyes were a deep and calming grey like a storm cloud before the rain had fallen, and her skin was an enriching mocha color like the finest of chocolate. However, the thing that stood out most about this apprentice builder was the large thick book she carried around on her back; no one knew what it was and she refused to talk about it to anyone, so it remained a mystery.

  
  


Despite these physical attributes of Stigmata being so alluring, she did not have many friends. 

  
  


“Good morning Mrs. Plum!”

  
  


“Oh, good morning Stigmata dear” The elderly Mrs. Plum called out to the apprentice builder that skipped past her home.

  
  


“Good morning Mr. Valencia!”

  
  


“Good morning Stigmata,” Mr. Valencia said, watching the apprentice builder skip past his house then shaking his head in fond remembrance of his teen years.

  
  


“Oh look there she is,” another apprentice builder said with a flick of her hair “it’s Stigmata again…”

  
  


Her friend giggled and Stigmata, noticing the two girls, bounced over to them happily and said her usual greetings.

  
  


“Good morning Nadia, good morning Jenny! A beautiful day isn’t it?!”

  
  


Stigmata glanced up at the sky and marveled at the scenery before her as Nadia subtly rolled her eyes before plastering a forced smile onto her lips. It was no secret that Stigmata was but the ditsy apprentice builder of Cantlin; she bounced around every day without a care in the world and had aspirations that were too far-fetched for someone of her level.

  
  


“You know,” Nadia began slowly “you’re a long way away from being a good builder like the rest of us…”

  
  


Jenny stifled a giggle as Nadia continued; “don’t you think you should take up some other profession? Like, oh I don’t know...farming? It would better suit you.”

  
  


Stigmata tilted her head to the side in confusion then continued to show that same dopey smile to both of the cold-hearted girls. Usual snarky comments and insults seemingly flew right over the apprentice builder’s head. 

  
  


“I love building!” Stigmata confessed “why would I give that up to...farm? I mean farming can be fun, don’t get me wrong, and all the farmers here work really hard on the crops we have but-it doesn’t speak to me the way building does!”

  
  


“You know only the  **best** builders are allowed to leave the city and travel, right?” Jenny asked, looking the apprentice builder up and down.

  
  


“Of course I know that! I plan to be the very best builder there ever was, even better than Angel herself!” Stigmata declared, her chest puffed out slightly in happiness.

  
  


Nadia and Jenny both exchanged glances then burst into loud laughter as Stigmata watched in confusion then laughed quietly, not sure at all what was so funny.

  
  


“You?! Better than the Legendary Builder, Angel?!” Nadia exclaimed, “I always knew you were stupid but I didn’t think you were insane too!!”

  
  


The apprentice builder felt a painful tugging sensation in her chest from Nadia’s words before she shook it off. That wasn’t a kind thing at all for her to say, and it confused Stigmata tremendously why she would think to say such a thing; nonetheless, she continued the conversation.

  
  


“What’s so funny about that?”

  
  


“What’s funny is that you actually think you have a chance of being better than the Legendary Builder!” Jenny retorted, poking Stigmata hard on the chest “the day you become anything more than a stupid apprentice Builder is the day the world ends!” She issued another hard poke to Stigmata’s chest, causing the girl to step back slightly “so if you think for a second that you will EVER be above us...you are gravely mistaken!”

  
  


Jenny pushed the girl hard and Stigmata grunted slightly before falling onto the grass. She remained silent for a long time and listened to Nadia and Jenny’s loud laughter before getting up and running off quickly, unshed tears lingering in her light grey eyes. 

  
  


She would become a better builder. It had been her dream for she can’t even remember how long, she wasn’t one to give up easily on her dreams and aspirations; she was also only fifteen years old, it didn’t matter if it took her days, weeks, months, years, or decades. She would become a builder worthy of praise someday. It didn’t have to be the whole world, it didn’t have to be the town of Cantlin, it didn’t even have to be her parents. If she just had one person who believed in her building skills…

  
  


Just one person.

  
  


Then maybe…

  
  


Maybe…

  
  
  


_ “Wake up my child…” _

  
  


What is that voice?

  
  


_ “Wake up my child, it’s your time” _

  
  


Could that be the Goddess speaking to her, the glorious Rubiss whom everyone in Cantlin praises?

  
  


So that encounter was simply a memory them, a deep memory within her mind she hoped to forget. So if that was merely a memory...then where is she?

  
  


The apprentice builder’s eyes slowly fluttered open and her vision was filled with that of a straw mattress before her gaze diverted upwards and stared at the skeleton that loomed over her resting figure.

  
  


“Keh heh heh!” The skeleton cackled, swinging his sword dangerously close to her “I got ya good, didn’t I? Almost scared ya half to death with my appearance alone!”

  
  


Stigmata stood up from the straw bed and examined the skeleton man curiously, her eyes gazing over the blue and gold armor he had on as well as the rather sharp stone sword he wielded. The ground beneath her seemed to be swaying gently even though she was standing still and she strained her ears slightly and wasn’t surprised to hear the crashing of waves. They were on a boat, that much she knew, but how had she gotten here? How long had she been asleep? Was she kidnapped? What became of her parents?

  
  


“Oi!” The skeleton man swung his sword again, almost removing one of her violet ponytails “pay attention will ya?! Say…you’re a builder ain’t ya?”

  
  


Stigmata snapped out of her confused state and grinned, her dopey smile returning and the gleam in her eyes as bright as ever; “I sure am!”

  
  


“Keh heh heh! An honest one! Keep up talk like that and ya won’t live to see the next day!” The skeleton replied “still...ya ain’t the master builder, just an apprentice so that’ll do just fine. Once ya’ve wiped the sleep from them sockets come to the deck! I’ll make some use of ya yet!”

  
  


The skeleton left the girl’s cell quickly and headed up a flight of stairs as she watched him curiously.

  
  


She definitely wasn’t in Cantlin, that’s for sure. She was on some sort of monster ship probably thousands of miles away from homes, she couldn't remember at all how she ended up in this situation or even how long she’d been asleep for. Maybe she was the only human on this ship, maybe she wasn’t...but one thing was for sure.

  
  


Stigmata grabbed the ribbons keeping her ponytails up and tightened them both in determination as a confident gleam appeared in her eyes. Her hand naturally made its way to her back and she gave a satisfied pat to the book that was still there.

  
  


This was a new opportunity for her to show off her skills as an apprentice builder. This was a chance for her to try and change the world for someone, even just a little bit.

  
  


“I don’t need the whole world to believe me” She muttered reassuringly to herself “just one person.” 

  
  
  
  



	3. A Strange New Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up on a monster ship, Stigmata has her work cut out for her!

As soon as Stigmata left her cell, her eager excitement to see what awaited her on deck was halted as the mean spirit that stood guard by her cell called her over.

  
  


“Builder! BUILDER!!”

  
  


Stigmata looked in surprise then turned towards the mean spirit with her dopey smile still stretched across her face.

  
  


“Before yooooou head upstairs, can yooooou tell the girl in the cell ooooover to pipe dooooown!!” The mean spirit complained in anguish “I can’t hear my ooooown thoooooughts!!”

  
  


“Will do!” Stigmata said cheerfully.

  
  


She skipped over to the cell next to hers and looked inside to see a small gangle of people: there was a man shaking heavily and cowering to himself, a boy who was either sleeping or passed out on a straw mattress, a girl with pink hair pulled into a side ponytail and brown eyes; that was screaming at the top of her lungs and yanking on the bars of the cell, then there was also-

  
  


“Nadia?!” Stigmata exclaimed in surprise as the said girl looked over at her “you got captured too?!”

“What does it look like you idiot! Of course, I did!” Nadia snapped before quickly composing herself “but that’s beside the point, you’re free and we’re not. I heard that freak skeleton man talking to you earlier so it’s gonna be up to YOU to try and find us a way out of here, understand?”

  
  


“Yeah that’s great and all but...could you please stop screaming?” Stigmata began before halting her sentence to direct her second statement to the pink-haired girl. 

  
  


The girl stopped screaming and looked over at Stigmata in surprise before sniffling and looking the apprentice builder up and down for a moment.

  
  


“Who are you…?” She questioned before shaking her head “whatever it doesn’t matter, I couldn’t help but notice you just having a _lovely_ chat with that dreadful skeleton earlier! I was going to ask you to come up with a plan to try and get us out of here but it looks like you’re too much of a rank amateur to come up with anything good!”

  
  


The pink-haired girl turned away, crossing her arms, and Stigmata had to forcefully stop herself from frowning. It wasn’t like she was a stranger to people ridiculing her building skills and shooting down any chance to prove herself, but she had just met this person and already they didn’t think she would be good enough to pull off something worth value. Stigmata quickly shook her head and composed herself, letting all those gloomy thoughts escape her mind; she just had to prove her worth that was all! Maybe if she could start by freeing these people from the cell they were in then they would start to take her seriously and value her worth as a Builder.

  
  


“I should have never become a Builder,” the cowering man said as Stigmata diverted her attention to him “I should have just been a miner...or a farmer…”

  
  


The apprentice builder took a step back and examined the cell they were stuck in before nodding firmly to herself. She didn’t have the necessary tools to break the thick lock on the door, but she was positive if she did whatever jobs the skeleton man had for her, she could convince him to release these other people.

  
  


“Don’t worry Nadia! Don’t worry screaming girl! I will save you both!!” And with that, the violet haired girl bounded up the stairs to the deck.

  
  


“My name is Lu--oh forget it...she’s already gone…”

  
  


“Keh heh heh!!” The Captain cackled, seeing her bounding up the stairwell “I see stairs are no match against you, ain’t they?”

  
  


“That’s right! I’m ready to work Captain!!”

  
  


“Good!” He encouraged digging from his pocket “but before ya run yourself ragged take this. It’s from the Captain’s table-where I sit by the way-and it should keep ya from passing out on me.”

  
  


The apprentice builder looked at what the Captain handed her and grimaced slightly to see soggy and foul-smelling kelp in her hands. It looked like it had been picked from the very depths of the ocean floor then dragged across an oil field, but despite its ghastly appearance, the apprentice groaned slightly in discomfort when she felt her stomach grumble. She didn’t know when the last time she had food was and she certainly wouldn’t be able to give it her all if pangs of hunger overtook her.

  
  


_‘Do it for screaming girl and Nadia’_

  
  


Fighting back a gag, Stigmata plopped the kelp in her mouth and began chewing very quickly so she wouldn’t have to taste it too much; before swallowing the piece of kelp and shivering heavily.

  
  


“Down in one bite!” The Captain exclaimed with a cackle “you should be grateful you even got a bite to eat because that’ll be the last meal you ever have! Keh heh heh!!’

  
  


“I’d rather not my last meal be kelp…” Stigmata confessed, her stomach-churning.

  
  


“SHUT YOUR TRAP! We won’t kill ya just yet, not until you’ve done some hard gruff around this place!”

  
  


At the mention of work, the apprentice builder suddenly perked up and looked at the captain with a bright smile. The Captain watched her happy expression in slight disbelief then scoffed and swung his sword in agitation, just barely missing her ponytail again.

  
  


“Well anyways!” The Captain continued “you’ll be following my orders to the letter ya hear?!”

  
  


“To the letter!” Stigmata exclaimed gleefully “aye, aye Captain! You can call me Stigmata by the way!! That’s my name Stigmata! Stiiiiiiiigmata~! **S** to the **T** to the **I** to the **G** to the--!”

  
  


“Alright I get ya, I get ya!!” The Captain said, swinging his sword again “I’m Captain WhiteBones but you’ll only refer to me as Captain ya hear?! And what kind of scurvy dog named ya Stigmata...horrible name choice…”

  
  


“What are all of these monsters doing on this boat anyways Captain? And what are you doing with all us builders?” She questioned curiously, ignoring the Captain’s remark.

  
  


“Curious one ain’t ya…?” Captain Whitebones noted “very well! If ya must know, then go and have a chat with that lot of there” he motioned to a group of monsters standing underneath a sinister-looking banner “and report back to me once you’ve learned! That’ll be your first mission!”

  
  


“Consider it done!”

  
  


Stigmata skipped over to the group of monsters cheerfully, and they all turned and stared at the builder curiously when she paused in front of them.

  
  


“Hello everyone!!” She introduced excitedly “my name is Stigmata! The captain ordered me to come over here to learn more about you all and why you have so many builders on this ship!”

  
  


“The Captain did huh?” A small slime said, hopping over to stand in front of Stigmata “well, we’re some of the last known survivors of the gooreat Children of Hargoon!”

  
  


“Hargoon…?” Stigmata questioned curiously.

  
  


“It’s Hargon!” A flying creature snapped at her angrily, it had pink skin with blue horns and its tongue was hanging out of its mouth lazily “he’s the High Prieth that the Children of Hargon look up to! If you builderth think you can ever thop uth you would be foolith to try!”

  
  


“That’s right!” The Slime interjected “no gooman would stand a chance against the mighty Hargoon! You would just be wasting your slime!”

  
  


“I see…” Stigmata said slowly, taking all of this new information in “he sounds like a guy I shouldn’t run into anytime soon.”

  
  


“And you would be wise to do as such” A Whackolyte said, capturing her attention once more “even the Scions of Edrick had trouble trying to overcome Hargon’s reign but he has risen stronger and will only get stronger still. The Power of Creation has no place in this world and it never has; all of you builders are merely delusional fools to think that you could change the laws of this world with your creations.”

  
  


“That’s where I have to disagree with you…”

  
  


The monsters all looked at Stigmata in surprise and watched as her dopey smile widened and another look of determination gleamed in her light grey eyes.

  
  


“The Power of Creation is what keeps this world turning on its wheels!” Stigmata preached “this boat we’re standing on right now had to be created by someone, the clothes you and I are wearing had to be created by someone, even the weapons you have had to be created by someone! We can’t get anywhere in life without some sort of creation, and the Power of Creation that I have--!” She pressed a hand gently to her chest “is burning hot with every second of every day! We’ve all heard of the Legendary Builder of Old, Angel, the one who fueled the flames of builders for eons to come. Well, **I** am one of the builders she has influenced and one day!! I’m going to be even better than her and fill this world with the Power of Creation again!!”

  
  


The monsters around them all exclaimed in shock and began speaking all at once as the Whackolyte glared at Stigmata in anger then raised his weapons; “Spoken like a fool!”

  
  


He slammed the weapons hard on the ground; the surprising impact lifted Stigmata from the ground as she yelped in shock before flying back and landing on the ground right in front of the captain.

  
  


“Resting on the job already?!” The Captain exclaimed as Stigmata winced in pain from the harsh landing and slowly stood up “up and at em builder! I still have more jobs for your lazybones to do!!”

  
  


Stigmata shook off the pain from landing on the hard deck then looked at the Captain excitedly, ready for her next task.

  
  


“See all this driftwood lying about?” He questioned pointing to driftwood strewn around the deck “a particularly nasty storm hit us whilst you were sleeping and did some damage to my ship. Make those bony arms of yours useful and collect all the driftwood then turn it into blocks and fix up the holes you see on the ship. And since I have you building--wipe that smile off your face!!”

  
  


Stigmata quickly stopped smiling, though the smile returned instantly once she had heard him say the word building. The Captain handed the apprentice some orange goo and she took it gently.

  
  


“While I have ya repairing the ground go ahead and whip up some torches too and place them around to brighten the place up a bit, there should be a little bench over there for ya to do that on” the Captain finished.

  
  


Stigmata nodded obediently then go to work on the task she had been set. She went around the entirety of the deck and collected all the pieces of driftwood she could find before taking them to the old workbench the Captain had pointed out. She put the fresh planks down onto the holes that littered the ship then got to work on the torches and placed them around the ship neatly to lighten it up. When she finished with that, she noticed a Shaman waving her offer so she went to him and was beaming with excitement when she realized he needed help. He gave her a pair of orange gloves (which he was kind enough to let her keep) and was instructed to grab all the barrels lying around the deck then return them to where they belonged.

  
  


Stigmata had to admit that she was having more fun then she cared to admit and all the monsters on the ship could see that clearly. Once done with the barrel situation, Stigmata reported her progress to Captain Whitebones who simply gave a snarky response then informed her that one of his mates at the upper deck wanted to see her right away for another task. Stigmata cheerfully bounded up the stairs and approached the skeleton that awaited her there.

  
  


“You wanted to see me?”

  
  


“Ah, there you are Builder!” The skeleton said “about time you showed your skull up here. I was bored out of my sockets and need some entertainment to keep me occupied.”

  
  


“Entertainment?” Stigmata tilted her head curiously.

  
  


“That’s right, keh heh heh! You know I’ve always wondered if builders could fight but look at you, you’re nothing but skin and bones! I suppose you’ll have to do though!”

  
  


Stigmata heard a familiar clattering sound behind her some ways away and she knew there was another skeleton there.

  
  


“What do you want me to fight with?” Stigmata questioned.

  
  


“Your hands!”

  
  


Stigmata’s eyes widened and she whirled around before quickly rolling to the side as the other skeleton swung his sword at her, narrowly missing her neck by mere inches. The apprentice builder exhaled deeply in nervousness before quickly getting up and facing the skeleton; the whole concept of fighting had never been her thing but if it came to defending herself at all cost then she was fully willing to put up a fight.

  
  


The skeleton approached her and Stigmata ducked as he swung his sword at her again before raising her fist and landing a firm punch to his face. The skeleton stumbled slightly then began swinging his sword wildly as Stigmata struggled to dodge them and earned a small cut on her cheek as a result. She bit her lip hard then stopped and found an opening before grabbing the hilt of the skeleton’s sword and shoving all of her body weight into him so he fell and released the sword.

  
  


“I did it!” She exclaimed proudly, looking back at the first skeleton who had talked to her “I won!”

  
  


“Yeah, you may have won…” he reluctantly agreed as Stigmata dropped the sword and went back over to him “but in a real fight ya would have been mincemeat, kid!”

  
  


“I would have done better if I had a stick” Stigmata confessed.

  
  


“A stick?!”

  
  


A slight smirk found it’s way onto Stigmata’s face and she pulled out her book from her backpack before opening it up and flipping to a certain page. She grabbed a quill and scribbled something in it then let out a small giggle of satisfaction before putting the book away as the skeleton watched her in utter confusion.

  
  


“A cypress stick!”

  
  


“A what?!?”

  
  


“I could win the fight if I had a Cypress Stick! I just invented it right now” Stigmata beamed “if I had that it would change the whole outcome of this fight, guaranteed!”

  
  


“You came up with something out of the blue like that?! Fine then, go make this...stick and let me see if you can put your money where your mouth is!”

  
  


Stigmata raced back to the old workbench and used the last few pieces of driftwood she had to make the Cypress Stick before racing back upstairs and presenting it to the skeleton proudly.

  
  


“So that’s a Cypress Stick huh?” He said, examining the object curiously “fine then, get on with it!”

  
  


Stigmata nodded and turned back towards the other skeleton before charging towards him. Having been taken by surprise, he swung his sword randomly in hopes to hit her as Stigmata dodged effortlessly then gave a hard whack to his ribs with the Cypress Stick. The skeleton recoiled slightly then swung his sword more towards the girl as she backed away quickly then found another opening and whacked him hard again. After doing this multiple times, Stigmata finally gave one hard slam to his head with her weapon and watched in shock as he crumpled to the ground, breaking apart into different pieces.

  
  


“I KILLED HIM!!!” She screeched in horror.

  
  


“He’s already dead lass!”

  
  


“Oh…”

  
  


“But ya did put on a proper show for me there” the first skeleton cackled “keh heh heh!! And here I thought you were all skin and bones, turns out you’re tougher then ya look! Head on back to the captain now, I’ve had my fun with ya for today!”

  
  


“Will he be alright though…?” She questioned pointing at the one she defeated.

  
  


“What are ya doing worrying about him for? He’ll be fine lass, get on with it!”

  
  


Stigmata nodded and put her Cypress Stick away then skipped down the stairs and over to Captain Whitebones before reporting all of her progress so far to him.

  
  


“All done with your jobs are ya?” He said slowly “it’s refreshing to see a human like yourself working her fingers to the bone for us monsters and without a word of complaint. You like doing this stuff for us?”

  
  


“You bet I do!” Stigmata said, “it’s fun doing all of this stuff and getting to know you all better in the process!!”

  
  


“Your a proper weirdo ain’t ya,” the Captain said ignoring her pouting “tell me something, do you really love building?”

  
  


Stigmata’s eyes softened and she stared at him firmly; “more than anything in the world.”

  
  


“That’s what I was afraid of” he confessed raising his sword “you’ve probably got what it takes to be a master builder and that’s what I can’t have. You’ve served us well builder, but I’m afraid your time is up. You’re too dangerous to risk letting escape somewhere, so I’ll have to take care of ya myself.”

  
  


Stigmata’s eyes widened and she watched as Captain Whitebones kept his sword raised then cackled in defeat and lowered it, causing the apprentice builder to breathe a sigh of relief. 

  
  


“I’m just playing with ya bones lass! Keh heh heh! In all actuality, since you like building for us monsters and all, I reckon you’d make a fair little cabin girl, what do ya say?!”

  
  


The initial shock that overtook the girl disappeared in an instant and she hopped up and down in glee as her signature dopey smile spread across her face.

  
  


“You mean it, Captain?! I would love to do that!” She accepted eagerly “count me in!!”

“I knew ya wouldn’t refuse,” the Captain said with slight joy “well then welcome to the crew! And while I’ve still got your attention I’ve been meaning to ask you, what’s that big book you lug around on your back?”

  
  


Stigmata blinked in surprise then remained silent. She was spared the trouble of answering when heavy rain suddenly started to pour from the sky and Captain Whitebones looked up in shock. Almost as if it were second nature, the other monsters on the ship began running around and fixing the sails and one of the flying monsters flew over and took the wheel of the ship.

  
  


**Ah, an apprentice builder…**

  
  


**You will do nicely…**

  
  


**This is your world to create…**

  
  


**And yours to destroy…**

  
  


**Now come to me...my child...**

  
  


“Ah! You’ll have to tell me another time lass!” Captain Whitebones said “get those bones of yours below deck and back in your cell for now! A storm like this ain’t made for humans to be sticking around too long!”

  
  


Stigmata nodded then quickly raced down the stairs and went over to her cell. She had to admit the sudden rain did startle her quite a bit, it almost seemed too sudden for the rain to come out of the blue like that; she could have sworn when she looked up the sky was cloudless. Before she could enter her cell, the ship suddenly jerked heavily as it got hit with a huge wave and Stigmata lost her balance and fell hard to the ground, her vision blurring and her head pounding in agony.

  
  


“Oh no! Oh no!” A Slime said as he hopped past Stigmata and went to the backroom “we’re really in the hole this slime!”

  
  


Stigmata slowly got up from the ground and looked to see Captain Whitebones run past her before stopping and looking at her; “Builder! Get over here quick, I’m gonna need your help!”

  
  


She nodded and followed him into the backroom and was shocked to see multiple holes littered within the ship as water flooded in.

  
  


“Oh, not good!” Captain Whitebones exclaimed “Builder! Use those gloves of yours and try to stop the leaks with those crates!!”

  
  


She nodded and immediately got to work, lifting the crates effortlessly due to the magic power of the gloves then fitting them into the slots where the leaks were. She finished the first round of leaks then as soon as she was done another wave hit the ship and more leaks sprung from the ship so she used more crates and got to work on that too. Once those were done, more leaks sprung up for the third time so without hesitation, she plugged them up with the crates then waited; seeing no more leaks spring forth. 

  
  


“Well ain’t that something! I think ya did it, lass! Ya stopped all the lea-”

  
  


Before the Captain could finish his praise, a strong and powerful wave struck the ship and a large gaping hole appeared in front of them all that was much too large to fill with crates. Water rushed in at rapid speeds and before she could find anything to hang onto, it swept Stigmata off of her feet and started dragging her off.

  
  


“Builder!!”

  
  


Captain Whitebones reached for the girl but fell short as she screamed then quickly grabbed onto the edge of the ship so she wouldn’t be completely thrown out to see. She could hear the water rushing at high speeds behind her and concluded that there must be a whirlpool somewhere nearby, she knew if it got her...she would be a goner.

  
  


“I think this is it, Stigmata!” Captain proclaimed as more water filled the room and Stigmata quickly had to hold her breathe “it was nice knowing ya, lass!! And don’t forget about me!!”

Another harsh wave crashed into the ship and dragged Stigmata completely out as Captain Whitebones was slammed elsewhere. Stigmata, her eyes wide in fear, tried to swim upwards to the surface but the whirlpool only pulled her farther down as she mistakenly screamed. Water began filling her lungs and before she knew it...she blacked out.

  
  
  


******

  
  
  


She felt...wet.

  
  


Was Heaven suppose to be wet? 

  
  


Was she even in Heaven right now?

  
  


Stigmata felt something pinching her leg and despite the intense pain she was in, she opened her eyes slowly and saw a crab pinching her leg curiously; probably trying to see if the apprentice builder was dead. Stigmata gasped then kicked the crab away before sitting up and beginning to cough raspily, trying to get all the water out of her lungs. Once she was sure she could breathe properly, she glanced around at her surroundings. She wasn’t dead, that much was for sure, but it didn’t help that she didn’t know where she was either.

  
  


She was lying on pieces of the broken ship and there was sand everywhere, it was an island of some sort but she couldn’t begin to fathom where on Earth it could be located. The apprentice builder forced herself to stand up, pain shooting through her entire body and a hiss escaping her throat. There was sand all over her damp clothes; her head, she felt, was bleeding slightly so she took care of it the best she could.

  
  


“Stay calm Stigmata...stay calm…”

  
  


Panicking wouldn’t help one bit.

  
  


Ignoring the intense pain she felt, the apprentice builder grabbed some kelp she found in the water and scarfed it down hungrily, not caring about the horrible odor anymore. She washed her face off slightly in the water then checked her reflection and fixed her ponytails so they were still bouncy and neat. She then quickly checked to see if her book was still there and let out a sigh of relief when she realized it was.

  
  


She didn’t have to panic, this was just the second step in her new adventure, right?

  
  


Stigmata stood up and smiled in determination before taking out her Cypress Stick; if push came to shove she knew she was more then capable of building the necessary items she needed to survive on this island.

  
  


“Alright then” she muttered to herself, the gleam returning in her eyes “bring it on!”


	4. The Partner and the Lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stigmata crash lands on a strange new island, what adventures await her now?

After getting rid of her initial shock of being stuck on a strange island, Stigmata began looking for some way to access more of the island.

  
  


She found a path in the mountain that had sunlight streaming through some sand so she raised her Cypress Stick and dug out the sand blocking the small path through the mountain. The hot sun beamed down on her mercilessly as she continuously used her weapon to dig out the sand from the path; once she found some way to return home, she wouldn’t be going near sand for a long time, that much she was sure of.

  
  


An hour later, she had cleared all the sand from the path and squeezed through the opening of the mountain to see more of the shipwreck up ahead, only this time...someone was there.

  
  


Stigmata blinked in surprise and looked at the person who was standing on top of the small pile of wreckage, staring at the sky with a thoughtful look on their face. It was a boy with sleek black hair that was pulled back into a tight ponytail that seemed to flare out wildly. He had strange pointy ears that Stigmata had never seen the likes of before and narrow dark red eyes. He had on a purple jacket that stopped just above his midriff and was open to reveal his chest along with a pair of orange pants that were baggy at the bottom. To finish off his look he had red gloves and boots with a necklace that looked like a simple thread with three claws on it. If anything, he looked very…

  
  


“Cool…” Stigmata whispered in awe.

  
  


The mysterious boy continued to stare at the sky and to the builder’s surprise he started to talk, though he wasn’t addressing her; “the sky is so strange...have I died and gone to Heaven? Or, Hell most likely…”

  
  


Stigmata took a small step forward, causing the shallow water at her feet to ripple loudly as the mysterious boy snapped his attention towards her instantly; going into a sort of defensive mode.

  
  


“What was that?!” He peered slightly through the blinding sunlight then noticed the apprentice builder “hey you! A live one!!”

  
  


The boy ran towards Stigmata and she smiled excitedly as he stopped in front of her then examined her in curiosity and slight distrust. She knew she still had to be cautious of who she ran into, but she was just so relieved to see that she wasn’t alone in this God-forsaken island that even the presence of this boy set her mind at ease.

  
  


“So what’s your story?” The boy demanded, circling the girl like a lion does a gazelle “how’d we end up on this island? Do you know what’s going on?”

  
  


“I don’t know how  _ you  _ got here but I was in a shipwreck” Stigmata answered, watching the boy happily.

  
  


“You were on that shipwreck?!” He pointed to the small wreckage that he had been previously standing on, his eyes narrowed again in disbelief and he stopped directly in front of the violet haired girl, peering deep into her eyes “so how come you didn’t kick the bucket too?”

  
  


“I was doing jobs for the crew on the ship!” Stigmata clarified “and in exchange they let me live and were gonna make me cabin girl. But…”

  
  


Stigmata trailed off sadly, already thinking of Captain Whitebones and all the other people on the ship who she couldn’t safe. She had thought for sure she was starting the beginning of some grand new adventure but it turns out it was just more false hope; the storm completely wiped out the whole crew and everyone down in that cell she had vowed to free.

  
  


_ ‘Maybe I really am just a failure’ _ Stigmata thought to herself.

  
  


The apprentice builder shook her head rapidly then plastered that dopey grin across her face before grabbing the boy’s hands in her own as he blinked in surprise; “My name is Stigmata! I’m an apprentice builder and I’m going to prove one day that my skills can change the world!!”

  
  


“Apprentice...builder,” The boy said tilting his head curiously “don’t know what that is but...congratulations I guess? My name is Malroth!”

  
  


Malroth smiled and clasped the girl’s hand in his as her smile widened and she felt her stomach churn for a split second before stopping; she must still be hungry.

  
  


“Hey, want to see something gruesome?!”

  
  


Before Stigmata could reply, Malroth had already let go of her hand and started to run off, the apprentice builder hesitated, not sure if she was particularly keen to see something “gruesome” before her curiosity gave in and she ran after Malroth. The duo ran for quite a while before they reached a larger clearing of the island where Stigmata saw an old run-down hut on the shore.

  
  


“See look!” Malroth exclaimed in joy, pointing at something in the water “now that’s what I call ‘dead in the water’!”

  
  


Stigmata looked and her eyes widened at the sight before her. Lying in the water were all the prisoners in the cell that had been next to hers and some of the monsters she recalled seeing on the ship. Stigmata quickly ran over to the bodies and shook the man first before checking his pulse.

  
  


Nothing.

  
  


The water gently came up and swept the man’s body further out to see as Stigmata’s eyes watered slightly then she quickly went to the boy that had been sleeping and checked his pulse as well, hoping to find some sign that he was still alive, hoping that he was in fact just sleeping like he was on the ship.

  
  


Nothing.

  
  


The water came up and swept his body away as well as Stigmata checked all of the monster’s pulses next only to be disappointed when she got nothing in return. The apprentice builder, feeling heartbroken and sorrowful, slowly went over to the last two bodies that were left.

  
  


Screaming girl and Nadia.

  
  


It was true that Stigmata and Nadia both didn’t have a good history with each other, but that was no reason for Stigmata to want her dead. She wouldn’t even wish death upon her worst enemy no matter the horrible things they did; everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves.

  
  


“Hey what are you doing?” Malroth asked in slight annoyance “touching all on the bodies and stuff, you aren’t feeling sorry for them are you?”

  
  


“I have to save them…” the apprentice builder replied “even if just one person...I have to.”

  
  


She quickly checked Nadia’s pulse and concentrated as much as possible for some sign of life, even if it was a faint flutter of her eyelids or the quiet exhale through her nostrils it would be enough to let the violet haired know that she was alive.

  
  


“Come on Nadia…” she whispered soothingly “stay with me…”

  
  


Time seemed to start to move agonizingly slow as the apprentice builder awaited any sign of the girl before her to be alive. Malroth watched her with his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face, not at all sure why this strange new girl was so determined to get this person to move. Even if she did wake up, he figured she’d just be a nuisance to deal with; one girl he could handle, two was too much, three and he would jump into the ocean.

  
  


Finally, as if by some stroke of luck, Nadia started to breathe quietly as a cry of relief escaped the builder’s lips. 

  
  


“She’s alive!” Stigmata exclaimed, tears welling to her eyes before she blinked them away and turned towards the male that stood and watched “Malroth? Can you grab her and take her to that hut back there, it’ll be a while before she wakes up, but she’ll make it!”

  
  


“Why she’s just gonna get in the way isn’t she?” Malroth questioned.

  
  


Stigmata stared at him silently, her light grey eyes holding a slight gleam of hidden anger in them as Malroth sighed quietly in defeat then lifted Nadia and took her to the abandoned hut. The apprentice builder stood up again and started to follow him when a sudden cough sounded and she whipped her head in that direction quickly to see the screaming girl squirming slightly.

  
  


She shamefully admitted that she had completely forgotten about her after seeing that Nadia was ok, but as soon as the pink-haired girl started to move, Stigmata’s eyes shined in glee and she quickly went over then knelt beside her.

  
  


“I’m Stigmata!” She introduced softly once the girl finally looked up “are you ok?”

  
  


“I’m…”

  
  


The girl’s sentence quickly cut itself off as she saw Malroth emerge from the hut then run over to them, causing her eyes to widen.

  
  


“Pirates!!!”

  
  


The pink-haired girl pushed herself up and dragged herself as far away from Stigmata as possible as the violet haired builder watched her in absolute confusion.

  
  


“Your name is...pirates” she questioned, “not the name I would have chosen, but regardless, I think it’s very nice!!”

  
  


“Y-Y-You’re both pirates!!” The girl accused again, pointing a shaking finger at Malroth then Stigmata “filthy, opportunity-seeking rats come to take me captive then demand a ransom for my safe return!!”

  
  


The girl broke into a series of dry, sickly coughs as Stigmata frowned worriedly and Malroth growled angrily, cracking his knuckles.

  
  


“Stigmata,” he said as the apprentice builder looked at him “this girl looks like more trouble than she’s worth. I could silence her for you...permanently.”

  
  


“It’s ok Malroth! She’s just scared!” 

  
  


Stigmata stood up and this small action caused the pink-haired girl to scream in horror before running away, pushing past Malroth unnecessarily hard, then taking refuge in the abandoned hut. She must have mistaken Nadia’s unconscious body for a deceased corpse because moments after she ran into the hut another loud scream occurred and Malroth growled again in anger, covering his pointy ears.

  
  


“That girl has some SERIOUS issues!!” He snarled before turning his attention towards the builder “let me get rid of her!”

  
  


“Only if you say please~”

  
  


“Please?!”

  
  


“Nope!” She teased “killing isn’t nice!”

  
  


The violet haired girl skipped cheerfully towards the hut as Malroth watched her retreating back in anger then smirked slightly and quickly followed her. The two entered the hut and looked to see the screaming girl huddled in the corner, cowering heavily in fear and sniffling hard whilst trying to hold back her tears. Malroth seemed to be showing great delight at seeing the girl’s fear but it practically tore Stigmata’s heart in two to see her look so scared and defenseless like that.

  
  


“Hey…” she cooed gently, going closer to the girl and blocking her view of Malroth so she wouldn’t feel intimidated “it’s ok, we’re not going to hurt you, and I won’t let him try anything. Trust me.”

  
  


To her luck, the girl slowly stopped cowering and looked up at Stigmata pitifully, a small sniff escaping her nose.

  
  


“You must have got washed up here from that shipwreck you and Stigmata were on” Malroth noted, crossing his arms.

  
  


“Shipwreck…?”

  
  


The pink-haired girl stared at Stigmata for a long time then stopped cowering completely and gasped in shock, something registering in her mind.

  
  


“You!” She exclaimed “it’s you! The one who came by my cell, I remember you now, you were talking to that girl named Nadia!! Those horrid monsters were just barking orders at you and you followed them without a care in the world! You’re in cahoots with them, aren’t you?! This is all your fault!!”

  
  


The girl jabbed an accusing finger at Stigmata’s chest as Malroth growled and grabbed her wrist tightly, causing her to scream again and go back to cowering. The apprentice builder gently grabbed Malroth’s hand so he let go of the screaming girl’s wrist then stood between them both to stop a fight from breaking out; her dopey grin wider than ever.

  
  


“I’m not sure why the ship sunk” Stigmata admitted “I’m not sure if we’re the only survivors or if there are more of us somewhere. All I know is that the four of us are stuck here together and that’s ok because I’ll make everything we need to survive until help gets here!!”

  
  


Malroth and the girl both blinked in surprise then spoke in unison; “HUH?!”

  
  


“Wait, wait, wait!!” The girl exclaimed, suddenly coming out of the corner “you’ll make everything we need?! Food, shelter, everything?!”

  
  


“Everything!”

  
  


This offer must have piqued the pink-haired girl’s interest because she suddenly perked up then smiled confidently before holding out her hand to the apprentice builder who, of course, shook it without hesitation.

  
  


“Well I suppose that’ll work then” she declared “my name is Lulu!”

  
  


“Hi, Lulu! I’m--”

  
  


“First off we’ll need to renovate this place!” Lulu noted, walking around the abandoned hut “we can’t exactly call it a proper room if there are holes in the walls! So you need to patch that up, THEN we’ll need beds; my beauty sleep is extremely important and I refuse to sleep on the cold floor! Lastly--!”

  
  


“Hold up!” Malroth interrupted, cutting off Lulu’s demands and snapping the apprentice builder out of her dazed building state “who put you in charge, huh?! And why does Stigmata have to do all this crap, what are you gonna do?!”

  
  


“She volunteered” Lulu pointed out “besides, you can’t expect a lady like myself to do hard and grueling work like that?!”

  
  


Before Malroth could say anything more, Stigmata tightened the two ribbons that held her bouncy pigtails up then gave Lulu a determined smile, the confident gleam in her eyes.

  
  


“Don’t worry Lady Lulu” she said confidently “if I could just ask you to keep a close eye on Nadia while I work, then I’ll have all these tasks done in no time”

  
  


“Are you kidding me…?” Malroth muttered with a roll of his eyes as Lulu flipped her hair victoriously “I wouldn’t call her a Lady.”

  
  


“I suppose I could do that” Lulu sighed slightly as Malroth growled again “now run along, this must be done before nightfall!”

  
  


Stigmata raced from the cabin then went over to the shipwreck Malroth had been standing on earlier, barely being able to contain her excitement; she finally would get the chance to build more, to build a bit more freely then she was allowed on the ship anyways. She used her Cypress Stick to break off as much of the wood from the ship as she possibly could then carefully made it into a workbench, it would be much easier for her to work with one of these instead of having to freehand each object with nothing to set her tools on.

  
  


After she finished making the workbench (which was shabby but it didn’t have to be perfect) she set it beside the abandoned hut then used more pieces of wood she had to make planks and blocks that would fit into the holes of the wall. Malroth walked back and forth some distance away, watching the builder with a slightly confused look on his face. She seemed to be putting things together so effortlessly and making strange plank objects which she then securely would put in the holes of the hut. Maybe that was what she meant when she said she was an apprentice builder; regardless, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the joy and bright smile on her face while she was building. It was...strange.

  
  


“There!” Stigmata beamed, staring at the fully repaired hut “that’ll do it!”

  
  


“It’s a start” Lulu nodded “but we still need beds! Oh and some food, there should be scallywinkles you can find for us to eat! Round up about 5 then slap them on the bonfire.”

  
  


Stigmata pondered for a moment then pulled out her book from its backpack, along with the quill, as she scribbled something down quickly then let out a satisfied giggle before putting it away.

  
  


“Beds! Got it!”

  
  


The builder raced out of the hut again and looked around curiously before her eyes landed on what she had been hoping to find.

  
  


Dry grass.

  
  


She went over and, using her Cypress Stick to dig it up, collected as much dry grass as possible before rushing back over to the workbench and quickly braiding them together to make four comfy beds for them all. She hoped in Nadia’s unconscious state that this would be enough to keep her cozy; she didn’t have any cotton to make a proper bed so it would have to do for now. As the apprentice builder was working on the second bed, she continuously eyed the extra pile of wood she still had sitting on the workbench.

  
  


She already set aside the pile of wood she would be using to make a bonfire for the scallywinkles, but she was unaware of what to do with this small extra pile, it pained her not to make the most of all of her materials. Stigmata glanced in Malroth’s direction and noticed him just casually walking back and forth some distance away, glancing at her every now and then like he was waiting on something to attack her so he could leap into battle. Her eyes trailed downwards to his gloves and she noticed that despite the vibrant red color they were the knuckle part was faded slightly like he used his fist a lot.

  
  


“Hey Stigmata,” the male said, snapping her out of her thoughts as he approached her “mind if I give that building thing a try…?”

  
  


“Of course you can try!” She exclaimed as she moved away quickly to give him space.

  
  


Malroth smirked and grabbed at the bedding she was working on before trying to braid it as he had seen her doing earlier, needless to say, it was...not going well. She watched as his smirk dropped to a frown and his frown to a glare. The bedding started to come out lopsided and turn ugly as he growled in frustration then threw it back on the table.

  
  


“Guess that building shit ain’t for me” he confessed as Stigmata’s eyes widened at the curse word before returning to normal “I’ll have to leave that to you!”

  
  


With that, the destructive male ran off and Stigmata smiled before taking out her book again and jotting something down, grabbing the extra pile of wood and shifting her body so the male wouldn’t see what she was making. 

  
  


She finished off the second bed that he had messed up then started on Malroth’s surprise as her dopey smile seemed to glean more and more in satisfaction. After she finished, the apprentice builder hid the present behind her back then skipped over to Malroth as he blinked in surprise and watched her curiously, wondering what the ditzy builder was up to this time.

  
  


“Hey, Mal~!” She exclaimed happily “guess what?!”

  
  


“Mal…” He quickly shook off the sudden nickname the girl had given him then looked at her, “what is it? Did something happen?!”

  
  


“No silly” she giggled “close your eyes!”

  
  


“Why?”

  
  


“Just do it~!”

  
  


“But-”

  
  


“Mal~!!!!”

  
  


Malroth groaned in annoyance and closed his eyes as the apprentice builder smiled more than took his hands in hers before setting the Oaken Club in them. Malroth, eyes still closed, raised an eyebrow and touched the object in his hands, trying to figure out what it was.

  
  


“Ok,” Stigmata said, “open your eyes!”

  
  


Malroth opened his eyes and stared at the club in his hands, confusion swirling around him before holding it properly and swinging it slowly, trying to make some sense of the foreign object.

  
  


“What is it?” He asked.

  
  


“A club!” The apprentice builder explained “you can use it to fight so you don’t have to use your fist so much and ruin your cool gloves! Besides, you seem more like a fighter than anything Mal, so I don’t want you to go around hurting yourself!”

  
  


Malroth smirked happily and swung the club around more, a small laugh escaping his throat as he hit it hard against the sand then swung it hard into the air, causing a loud whooshing sound to pass between the two of them.

  
  


“This thing is great Stigmata” he looked into the apprentice builder’s eyes and for what felt like the first time since she met him, a smile graced his face, causing her insides to churn slightly again “I like this thing...no...I  **love** this thing!!”

  
  


“I’m glad you--!”

  
  


Before she could finish her statement Malroth held his hand up suddenly to silence the girl as his eyes narrowed.

  
  


“Wait…” he turned and looked further down the beach “do you feel that Stigmata…?”

  
  


The violet haired girl looked in the direction he was facing and tilted her head curiously.

  
  


“Feel...what?”

  
  


“I don’t know but it feels evil.” Without another word, Malroth took off sprinting in that direction with his club at the ready as Stigmata’s eyes widened and she had no choice but to follow. 

  
  


As soon as they entered the small cave they encountered a small gang of giant rats that were almost as big as Stigmata herself. Malroth smirked in satisfaction and ran towards them then began attacking them all with onslaughts of swings from his Oaken Club. Stigmata quickly took out her Cypress Stick again and ran towards Malroth to help as he kicked a rat in her direction and she slammed her Cypress Stick hard to its skull, making it fall to the ground unmoving. The two continued to hammer away at the gangle of rats until one was left standing; however before Stigmata could even make a move to kill it, Malroth raced forward and sent one swift, heavy crack to its head, killing it instantly.

  
  


Stigmata sighed in relief then returned her weapon to its rightful place before raising her hand happily for a high five; “Nice one Malroth!!”

  
  


Malroth looked over at the apprentice builder then, without thinking, ran over and slapped his hand against hers. A feeling of satisfaction settling through both of them as a smile graced their faces before Malroth’s pleased face turned into one of pure confusion.

  
  


“What was that…?”

  
  


“It’s called a high five!” Stigmata said, throwing up a peace sign “it’s something people do to like...celebrate I guess! If you want, every time we take care of the bad guys or I finish something cool we can high five the success!”

  
  


Malroth mulled this offer over in his head then smirked happily and nodded; “alright! Sounds good to me!”

  
  


The duo left the small cave together and Stigmata started to make her way over to the workbench again to finish her bedding when she suddenly stopped and turned towards Malroth, a question mulling on her mind.

  
  


“Don’t you think we’d make a good team?” She pondered aloud.

  
  


Malroth considered her question for a moment then shrugged before nodding; “we did fight well together...and I like those high five things. Besides, since I can’t build worth shit the least I can do is go around bashing the baddies right?”

  
  


“That’s what I was thinking too!” Stigmata agreed “we’d be the perfect team! You fight off the bad guys, and I do the building!”

  
  


Malroth smirked again and turned towards the apprentice builder as she stopped walking and faced him with a dopey grin.

  
  


“So…” he said slowly “partners?”

  
  


Stigmata took his hands in her own and leaned closer to him, not being able to contain her excitement any longer and completely oblivious to the tiny hint of pink on her friend’s cheeks.

  
  


“Partners!!”


	5. Isle of Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stigmata meets the destructive Malroth and the bossy Lulu on the strange island! What challenges await the trio now?

Stigmata was in a rather chipper mood for the short remainder of the day. She finished the rest of the beds and placed them within the hut much to Lulu’s pleasure; then gently lifted Nadia’s unconscious body and set her on one of them. The only task she had left now was securing some food for them to eat that would last them through the night; Lulu had mentioned scallywinkles and, while they weren’t a fan favorite in Cantlin, Stigmata figured they would suffice here.

  
  


So the apprentice builder went along the shallow waters of the beach: her shoes and socks disregarded as she picked up a few scallywinkles for them to eat. Malroth was still pacing back and forth nearby to keep a close eye on the builder, swinging his Oaken Club more and smirking in happiness every now and then from this generous gift.

  
  


“Hey Mal, you think only five will be enough?” Stigmata asked curiously.

  
  


“Maybe you should round up five more,” the destructive boy said, running over to her “knowing fatty in there she’ll probably eat those five by herself!”

  
  


He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the hut as Stigmata giggled then handed the five she already had to Malroth, causing a displeased look to arise on his face from the slimy texture of them.

  
  


“Don’t make fun of Lulu” she said, “besides there are only four of us and Nadia is still unconscious so I think that'll be enough to hold us out for tonight.”

  
  


“Whatever you say...but I think I’ll pass tonight on this slimy shit.”

  
  


Stigmata swopped up the extra wood for the bonfires that she had on the workbench then entered the hut before setting the wood in the corner, she figured even after she was done cooking the scallywinkles on the fire, having the bonfire inside the hut would prove to serve as some warmth throughout the night. The apprentice builder reached into her backpack and pulled out the spare goo Captain Whitebones had given her then spread it across the wood and used two rocks to light the bonfire. 

  
  


“So now you’ve got that” Malroth pointed out, setting the scallywinkles down and sitting next to the apprentice builder “so how is that gonna help?”

  
  


“Like this!”

  
  


Stigmata grabbed the nearest scallywinkle she could reach then cracked it open with a rock before setting the shell on top of the logs carefully so the meat inside could cook. Malroth’s eyes widened and he looked at the smiling girl like she had grown a second head.

  
  


“You’re gonna destroy it?!” He exclaimed.

  
  


“No silly!” She giggled “I’m cooking it! You shouldn’t eat anything like that while it’s raw, you’ll give yourself quite the tummy ache let me tell you!”

  
  


Malroth hummed slightly in understanding then crossed his arms and stared at the scallywinkle on the fire, he was learning so many new things about building and the things Stigmata did as an “apprentice builder.” He still didn’t know anything about the term at all and to see her running around throwing materials together so gleefully really took his mind for a spin; he figured now would be the best time to try and inquire more about it.

  
  


“Hey” he began slowly as Stigmata turned her head in his direction “so what does it mean to like...build? What’s the difference between an apprentice builder, and a regular builder or whatever…?”

  
  


“Oh…”

  
  


Stigmata hesitated slightly on an answer then shook her head and smiled again.

  
  


“Being a builder is...it’s a great honor” she explained softly “anyone can be a builder, of course, I’m just an apprentice so that means I’m not as good as everyone else is but despite that I love doing it! Being able to put materials together and create something new or something you can utilize in everyday life always makes me happy, and it makes life better! You can only become an official builder by passing a series of tests at school.”

  
  


“That seems dumb” Malroth scoffed, leaning against the apprentice builder as her face felt warm “you don’t seem like an  _ apprentice builder _ to me, you’re the real deal to me Stigmata!”

  
  


Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked at Malroth to see him still staring deep into the flames of the bonfire, the orange glow of it reflecting almost perfectly in his red eyes.

  
  


“If you’re just an apprentice builder…” he continued, his tone slowly going quieter “then when you become a full-fledged builder, you’ll be the best this world has ever seen.”

  
  


If her face hadn't felt warm already she was almost positive it did now, not even the heat of the bonfire could account for the heat that seemed to radiate from the apprentice builder’s face. Her heart was beating at an abnormally fast rate and it took her what felt like years to truly let the destructive boy’s words register in her mind. Did he really think she was that great of a builder? All she did was fix up some old hut and throw a couple of beds together, was that such a great accomplishment to him?

  
  


“Malroth-”

  
  


“Is that what I think it is?!”

  
  


Lulu ran over excitedly, cutting off whatever the apprentice builder was going to say, as she gazed into the bonfire with a hungry look in her eyes. Stigmata put on the magic glove she received from the Shaman on the ship and used it to grab the scallywinkle from the fire before placing it on a small sheet of dry grass and handing it to the anxiously waiting Lulu.

  
  


“The smell of the seaside” Lulu practically drooled as she pulled the shell open more and ate the meat inside “the gravelly crunch of sand! No doubt about it!! That’s a bonafide cooked scallywinkle made from perfection!”

  
  


Malroth’s eye twitched in disgust and Stigmata giggled before cracking open two more scallywinkles and placing them on the bonfire. 

  
  


“Are you sure you don’t want any Mal?”

  
  


“After seeing that,” Malroth said with a gag “I’ll pass!”

  
  


The destructive boy hopped into one of the beds as Lulu bounced up and down on the heel of her feet, waiting for another one to be done. She was still a bit taken aback by Malroth’s words of praise, she wasn’t all too sure if she should take them seriously or not but it certainly made her feel some type of way.

  
  


Suppressing a smile, the builder continued to cook the rest of the scallywags then went to sleep, dreaming of what her life would hold from here on out.

  
  


**...**

  
  


When morning rolled around, Lulu was the first one up. She stretched and dusted off her blue dress with a quiet huff, sleeping on some dry grass beds located on the floor wasn’t the best option in the world but it was better than nothing. She glanced over at Nadia, who was still unconscious, then turned and looked at Malroth and Stigmata. The destructive boy had rolled off of his bed completely and was lying on the floor next to the apprentice builder though he didn’t seem to mind the hardness of the ground judging by the intensity of his snores. Stigmata was still lying on her bed, curled up and sleeping peacefully; oblivious to the fact that Malroth was so close to her, not touching...just close.

  
  


Lulu smiled knowingly and reached into her dress pocket to pull out the extra scallywinkle Stigmata had made for her, only to stop short when she felt nothing there. She gasped in shock and quickly reached into her other pocket only to feel nothing but air. 

  
  


“You!!” Lulu shouted, storming over to Malroth’s sleeping body and kicking it, her eyes wide in rage “you did this!!”

  
  


The destructive boy jerked away and sat up quickly, pulling out his oaken club and placing a hand over Stigmata’s sleeping body as a way to protect her.

  
  


“Oh...it’s just you,” he said blankly, putting the weapon away as Stigmata slowly opened her eyes from the amount of noise the two were making “wait...why the hell did you kick me?!”

  
  


“Because YOU ate my scallywinkle!!!” Lulu accused “the one I had in my pockets! I was saving it for this morning and YOU stole it!!”

  
  


“What’s happening…?” Stigmata asked groggily as she stood up and stretched.

  
  


“Your brute of a partner took my scallywinkle!”

  
  


“Listen here, you-!”

  
  


Malroth stopped abruptly like he had the last time when he sensed the rats, then suddenly grabbed Stigmata’s hand and ran outside, issuing a yelp from the apprentice builder. Lulu huffed angrily and followed them out the hut as the three stopped suddenly then looked to see what appeared to be the spirit of a Hammerhood carrying a wooden hammer that Stigmata couldn’t help but stare at in awe. 

  
  


“Ho, ho, ho! Do my eyes deceive me or is that an apprentice build-build-builder!” the Hammerhood exclaimed, bouncing from side to side slightly in the air.

  
  


“Can it!!” Lulu yelled, pointing at the Hammerhood angrily, “You took my food, didn’t you?! Cough it up-up-up right now!”

  
  


Malroth laughed at Lulu’s mockery of the Hammerhood as Stigmata held back a giggle then remained silent to see what it was the creature wanted.

  
  


“How rude!! Fine then, if you want it back then follow me-me-me!”

  
  


The Hammerhood disappeared suddenly and the ground underneath their feet rumbled for a moment as the mountain behind them suddenly exploded, sending rubble flying everywhere, to reveal a pathway of stone for them to climb up to in order to get on top of the mountain. Lulu’s eyes narrowed in anger and without hesitation, she ran up the stone path leading up the mountain.

  
  


“Lulu!” Stigmata called “it could be dangerous!”

  
  


“I’M GETTING MY DAMN SCALLYWINKLE BACK!!”

  
  


So much for that…

  
  


“Hey, this is good!” Malroth smirked, “now it’ll just be us and unconscious girl!”

  
  


Stigmata rolled her eyes and followed Lulu up the mountain as Malroth growled in annoyance then reluctantly followed. The trio took every twist and turn on the mountain, following the braziers that seemed to light up before them. Lulu was on a determined mission to get her breakfast back from the clutches of the Hammerhood, Stigmata was determined to get some answers from the Hammerhood and learn more about the island, and Malroth was just trying to keep the two girls from falling off the mountain.

  
  


After what seemed like a full hour of running around the twist and turns, the trio stopped in front of a stone staircase that led to the top of the mountain. Lulu panted heavily in exhaustion and anger then grabbed Malroth by his jacket before pushing the male towards the staircase.

  
  


“A-Attack!!” She panted out breathlessly.

  
  


“What am I?!? A dog!!!”

  
  


Stigmata ignored the two’s argument and excitedly walked up the stone staircase, wondering what she would find at the top. Malroth scoffed and turned away from the pink-haired girl as Lulu huffed and reluctantly went up the stairs after the apprentice builder. Malroth looked, noticing his partner already halfway up the staircase so he took out his Oaken Club and followed her. When they got to the top of the mountain, they looked to see what appeared to be the symbol of a hammer engraved into the ground and two destroyed parts of the temple on both sides of them. In front of them were two red and gold treasure chests and a platform where the Hammerhood ghost stood and waited.

  
  


“You made-made-made it!” It said, bouncing side to side again “I’ve been waiting a long-long-long time for a builder to make the climb up to this temple!”

  
  


Lulu shoved Malroth towards the Hammerhood again then took an angry step forward, not caring what the creature even had to say.

  
  


“Shut up you horrible hairy hermit!!” She snapped “stealing is a crime punishable by death, and I want my breakfast back!! We didn’t make the trek up this mountain just to hear you flap your jaw!! Malroth, attack!”

  
  


“What do you mean by that?” Stigmata questioned, gently making Malroth lower his Oaken Club “you’ve been waiting for a builder to come up this mountain? What for?”

  
  


“My temple has seen bet-bet-better days!” The hairy hermit explained, “if you really are the builder you claim to be, then fix-fix-fixing it up should be an easy task for you!”

  
  


The two chests beside the monster began glowing a soft white color before stopping.

  
  


“I’ll have a nice little gift-gift-gift for you when you get done!”

  
  


With that, the hairy hermit did a twirl and disappeared as Lulu yelled angrily into the air and Malroth scoffed, putting his weapon away in annoyance; “if that hairy freak thinks he can just lure us up some mountain then expect us to fix his house then he has another thing coming! Right Stigmata?”

  
  


However, his question fell on deaf ears as he noticed the apprentice builder had her book out and was scribbling something in it, her eyebrows furrowed. Malroth and Lulu exchanged glances then shrugged and went over to Stigmata, both of them peering into the book to see what had her concentration so taken up. Before they could even see what it was, Stigmata slammed the book closed and smiled brightly as the ground around them began glowing a soft golden color and a blueprint materialized in front of them.

  
  


“You’re actually going to build this thing for him?!” Lulu exclaimed.

  
  


Her question was soon answered as she watched the apprentice builder open up the two chests and grab the materials inside. She ran back and forth around the temple excitedly, slamming blocks into place and breaking pieces of rubble that were beyond repair with her Cypress Stick. Lulu sighed deeply and shook her head as she watched the apprentice builder fix the temple exactly as the blueprint was. Malroth couldn’t help but smile as he watched Stigmata; her two violet pigtails bouncing around wildly as she slammed blocks down, her dopey smile plastered on her face.

  
  


“She really is a great builder…” He muttered to himself in slight admiration. 

  
  


“And...done!”

  
  


The apprentice builder slammed the last block down in place and watched as the ground glowed gold again then the blueprint disappeared.

  
  


“I can’t believe you were able to just look at this old temple and fix it up like that” Lulu said, going over to Stigmata “perhaps I underestimated you!”

  
  


“Are all of your building tricks located in this book of yours…?” Malroth asked curiously, poking the book on the girl’s back which caused her to quickly move away “you gotta let me borrow it some time then Stigmata! If anything can teach me how to build, it’ll be that book you always lug around with you!”

  
  


“What’s wrong Stigmata?” Lulu questioned, noticing the builder was looking rather shy all of a sudden “don’t tell me you’ve got some mucky magazines sandwiched between those pages~I didn’t think you were that type of girl~!”

  
  


“Muckiness doesn’t bother me any!” Malroth reassured with a smirk “come on Stigmata, let me get a peek in that book of yours!”

  
  


“Uh...well...I…”

  
  


Before Stigmata could come up with a valid excuse, the hairy hermit appeared before them once again; “crack-crack-cracking job repairing this old temple of mine! In exchange for doing this task for me, I’ll lend you this!”

  
  


He held his wooden hammer out to the apprentice builder as her eyes gleamed in joy and she held her hands out; as soon as she grabbed it, the hammer turned solid, unlike the spirit like appearance it had while in the hairy hermit’s hands. Stigmata turned towards Malroth and Lulu in happiness as they stared at the new hammer in her hands then smiled.

  
  


“You can do some serious clobbering with that thing!” Malroth noted.

  
  


“Or some serious building!” Lulu remarked.

  
  


“If that amazes you, then my next-next-next gift will too!” The hairy hermit exclaimed as he took Stigmata’s hand and led her over to the edge of the mountain; Malroth and Lulu following closely behind them “this whole island is yours too! Every nook-nook-nook and cranny!”

  
  


“What?!” Lulu exclaimed, leaning against the destructive boy for support “this whole island?! Just for fixing up some crumbly old temple?!?”

  
  


“This world was once home to the legendary build-build-builder, Angel” the hairy hermit explained, overlooking the island “she built this temple and many other great-great-great monuments that are still standing to this day! Now that she’s gone, all that’s left behind is her beliefs for building! So an apprentice builder like you-you-you is exactly what this island needs!”

  
  


“What is she even supposed to build?” Malroth questioned while crossing his arms.

  
  


“Well...whatever she wants!!”

  
  


Stigmata overlooked the island and couldn’t help but to feel her eyes water slightly. She wasn’t sure if it was from shock, fear, or happiness at this point; all she knew was that she had a whole island to herself, and she could do whatever she wanted with it. She didn’t have to consult anyone with what to build, she didn't have to follow any guidelines, she had no restrictions whatsoever. Whatever she wanted to build, she could have it.

  
  


“My own island…” Stigmata said quietly to herself.

  
  


“Oi! Look over there!” Malroth pointed out near the shore “there’s a ship over there! That wasn’t here earlier!”

  
  


Lulu and Stigmata both looked towards where he was pointing and sure enough, saw the brown ship down by the water that had not been there yesterday.

  
  


“That’s perfect,” Lulu said “you can take it and use it to find better materials for Lulutopia! This place has nothing but sand and rocks, not the perfect getup for what I have envisioned!!”

  
  


“Hold on!” Malroth snapped as the pink-haired girl turned towards him “ _ Lulutopia _ ?! What the hell is that? If you think that’s what Stigmata is turning this place into then you have another thing coming stupid!! This is gonna be  **my** Empire of Evisceration!” 

  
  


“Empire of what?!” Lulu exclaimed “oh yeah, a name like that will just scare everyone off!! It’s bad enough Stigmata’s name is the way it is, now you want to call  **my** island, that?! I don’t think so!!”

  
  


“What’s so bad about Stigmata’s name?!” Malroth growled, moving closer to Lulu in a threatening manner “she’s done a lot more shit around this island then you ever have! If anything calling this place  _ Lulutopia  _ will be an insult to all her hard work!”

  
  


“Are you kidding?! Then again, I forgot you’re a total idiot! Her name means a mark of disgrace!” Lulu explained “not only is it a weird name for a person but it sounds like exactly the kind of name that someone should have with an  _ Empire of Evisceration _ . If anything  **you’re** the one trying to insult all her hard work!!”

  
  


The two continued to bicker back and forth as Stigmata stared at the boat down by the water and smiled in determination. Lulu was right, her name was odd...to say the least, and she knew it wasn’t the best name in the world but she was coming to terms with that. Right now the only thing she could focus on was what she planned to do with this island. Whether she named it Lulutopia or the Empire of Evisceration; she was going to make sure this was a place she could be proud of. It was going to be a place that puts even the Legendary Builder to shame.

  
  


“Hey, you guys!” She said, turning towards the two just in time to see Lulu stop pulling Malroth’s jacket as he stopped pulling her side ponytail “I’m going to build this island up to its glory for us! For Nadia, I’m going to prove that I  **can** be even better than the Legendary Builder, Angel was! For you Lulu, I’m going to build a big grand castle surrounded by flowers and trees that's fit for a Princess! For you Malroth, I’ll build you an Empire of Evisceration that stands tall and proud reaching way above the clouds even!! And for myself…”

  
  


The apprentice builder slowly turned away and tightened her ponytails again.

  
  


“I’m gonna build whatever I want!!”

  
  


With that, she jumped down the side of the mountain and started sliding down as Lulu and Malroth both exclaimed loudly in shock then ran back down the way they came, shoutings words of concern and scolding the builder for acting so recklessly. She landed safely in the water down below then ran over to the ship as the man standing near it looked at her in surprise.

  
  


“Well ahoy there!” He said quickly, noticing Stigmata panting from excitement “names Brownbeard, fancy seeing another human on this here island! I thought for sure it was deserted! I was just avoiding a ship from them there Children ‘o Hargon and washed up here, and me here map ain’t the slightest bit ‘o help!”

  
  


Stigmata watched Brownbeard stare at his map in confusion then she grabbed it and flipped it upside down as a look of realization spread across his face. The sound of water splashing wildly sounded from behind them and seconds later, Malroth and Lulu both stood beside the apprentice builder.

  
  


“Who is this guy?” Malroth asked, one hand already inching towards his Oaken Club.

  
  


“His name is Brownbeard” Stigmata explained, grabbing Malroth’s hand so he couldn’t reach his weapon “and I was just going to ask him if we can use his ship to take us to different islands to find more materials!”

  
  


“Tell ya what” Brownbeard proposed “this island looks like a good enough place to collect me thoughts! So if ya let me crash here now and again, I’ll take ya three wherever ya need to go! The only kicker is, me old ship here ain’t meant for heavy loads, so ya can’t take many items with ya!”

  
  


“This boat looks like a deathtrap...but it’s the best we have in the way of transportation” Malroth pointed out “what do you think Stigmata?”

  
  


“I think we have a deal!”

  
  


The hairy hermit suddenly appeared beside Lulu and bounced from side to side in happiness; “looks like every-every-everything is falling into place!”

  
  


“There’s an island nearby called Furrowfield that’s supposed to be notorious for their gardens and greenery,” Lulu said, “if we hope to add a bit of color to Lulutopia, then I suggest you start there.”

  
  


“Furrowfield it is!” Malroth declared running onto the ship and jumping onto the bow before making himself comfortable there “come on Brown-nose! To Furrowfield!”

  
  


“It’s Brownbeard!”

  
  


Brownbeard climbed onto the ship and went to the back where the wheel was as Stigmata climbed on after him then held out her hand to Lulu. Lulu hesitated and took a step back as Stigmata stared at her in confusion then smiled suddenly and nodded in understanding.

  
  


“Thank you,” she said softly, knowing she didn’t have to explain her fears to Stigmata “I just can’t...not yet.”

  
  


“Look after Nadia for me, Lulu.”

  
  


“I will.”

  
  


“Stay safe-safe-safe!” The hairy hermit said with a wave as the ship took off.

  
  


Lulu waved as well and Stigmata stretched her hand as far as it would go before waving back until, after a while, the island disappeared from few and was replaced with crystal clear blue water. To say she was nervous was an understatement, Stigmata’s stomach was churning in both nervousness and excitement of what was to come. To think she had gone from being an apprentice builder in Cantlin, then to a cabin girl on Captain Whitebones ship, then finally to having her very own island to build on. It had certainly been a wild experience from beginning to end but she knew that her adventure was far from over. This was only just the beginning.

  
  


“Hey, Stigmata…?”

  
  


She turned and looked to see Malroth still sitting on the bow of the ship, staring out at the crystal blue water, before turning to face the violet-haired girl.

  
  


“I don’t think your name is weird.”

  
  


Stigmata blinked in surprise then smiled softly; she wasn’t all too certain what she had expected Malroth to say but it wasn’t that. Maybe his conversation with Lulu was still racking at his brain.

  
  


“Thank you Malroth,” she said softly, moving closer to him then relaxing, leaning her body against the ship so she’d stop swaying “I’ve heard people make fun of my name all the time so...it means a lot to hear you say that.”

  
  


“Lulu is just dumb” he hissed through gritted teeth “judging someone based off their name! All the cool things you’ve done for us there on that island and she-!”

Malroth shook his head silenced himself, probably to prevent himself from saying something he might regret. Stigmata slowly reached forward and grabbed the destructive boy’s hand as he looked at her then instantly regretted it. He felt his cheeks start to turn red from the soft and happy look in her eyes and he couldn't find it in himself to look away, no matter how hard he tried.

  
  


“You’re the best partner a girl could ask for, you know that Mal?”

  
  


“Yeah well...I’m just telling you the truth.”

  
  


“The fact that you believe in me so much is…” Stigmata trailed off slightly, feeling her heart pound in her chest, it was such an unknown feeling to her that it evoked a bit of fear into her.

  
  


But nonetheless…

  
  


“It’s refreshing” she finished, her dopey grin returning to her face “just continue being by my side as you are now Mal, and I’ll be happy.” 

  
  


Malroth smiled, his face now a full red, as he nodded in response to the girl’s request.

  
  


“Whatever you say, Stig.”


	6. Furrowfield! Land of the...spoilspores?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malroth and Stigmata arrive in Furrowfield but, things aren't quite what they expected them to be.

“So that’s Furrowfield!” Stigmata exclaimed in glee as she stared at the upcoming island in the distance.

  
  


“Seems like it,” Malroth said snatching a pair of binoculars from around Brownbeard’s neck then peering into them “I expected it to be greener...it’s a lot greener than the Empire of Evisceration is though!”

  
  


Stigmata bounced up and down on the heels of her feet as Malroth threw the binoculars back to Brownbeard who stumbled and flailed around to catch them. Stigmata had faintly learned about Furrowfield once from the books in Cantlin and it sounded like a magnificent place indeed; filled with juicy fruits and gleaming vegetables. If they did hope to add more greenery and beauty to their island then Furrowfield was the place to do it.

  
  


Brownbeard steered the ship and stopped it by a small dock as the duo leaped off then stretched their tired limbs. It had been a long voyage if Stigmata had to estimate how long it took them to arrive at Furrowfield she figured about a good two to three hours at max.

  
  


“Well, here we are!” Brownbeard said, not stepping off the boat “I’ll be sailing around nearby if either of ya needs me! After getting the runabout with me here map, I need to get the lay ‘o of the land down properly!”

  
  


“What so you’re just dumping us here?!” Malroth questioned.

  
  


“Exactly!”

  
  


With that, Brownbeard went back to the wheel of his ship and grabbed it before waving the duo a small farewell and sailing off. Stigmata waved back happily as Malroth scoffed in disbelief then crossed his arms. The apprentice builder figured that they might have to stay here at Furrowfield for a while anyway to get used to the area and the inhabitants here; it would be rude to just come and take what they needed then leave. Giving a content pat to the book on her back, Stigmata tightened her ponytails then skipped forward as her faithful partner followed, glancing around for something to clobber with his Oaken Club. As they were venturing further into the island, Stigmata couldn’t help but notice that she was having difficulty walking around; the ground beneath her feet seemed muddier than it should be, and the air had a sort of rotten smell to it like the entire island was spoiled. 

  
  


“Hey look over there!” Malroth exclaimed with a point of his finger.

  
  


The apprentice builder looked and saw a flash of cyan-colored hair as a loud ear-splitting scream suddenly surrounded the area. The cyan blur ran to the top of a hill and the duo watched in confusion as two ape-like creatures followed after her; yelping madly and pounding their chest with their fists. The cyan blur tripped over a tree branch and fell to the ground as the ape-like creatures surrounded the individual then readied themselves to attack. From the looks of it, Stigmata concluded that the creatures must be badboons, she’d read about them before in a book.

  
  


“Well...sucks for them!” Malroth smirked.

  
  


However, as per usual, the apprentice builder wasn’t going to let this go without a fight. Picking up a decent-sized rock from the ground; Stigmata drew her arm back as far as it would go then flung it as hard as possible; the rock sailed through the air then made a direct hit into one of the badboon’s eyes. Stigmata took out her Cypress Stick and raced towards the monsters as they turned their attention away from the person on the ground and charged at the violet haired builder instead, fully enraged and gearing for destruction.

  
  


Malroth, weapon already ready, leaped over the builder’s head and landed hard on the back of the closest badboon as a satisfying crack emitted from it’s back before he smirked and slammed his Oaken Club into its skull, sending the creature crashing to the ground instantly. The second baboon lunged at Stigmata and she slid under it before spinning around and slapping her Cypress Stick into its backside, causing the creature to yelp in pain then round towards the apprentice builder who held a playful smile on her face. Malroth ran over and stood in front of Stigmata protectively, a sly smirk on his face.

  
  


“Were you just playing with the damn thing?” He questioned curiously as the badboon charged at them again.

  
  


“Bad people and monsters deserve spankings when they act like that!”

  
  


Stigmata twirled to the right as Malroth slid to the left, allowing the charging badboon to pass between them both harmlessly as Malroth grabbed the creature by its fur then hopped on its back, riding it like a horse. Stigmata raised her Cypress Stick like a baseball bat and smiled as Malroth pulled the badboon’s ears so it turned and charged in her direction instead.

  
  


“Home...RUN~!”

  
  


Malroth leaped off of the creature just as Stigmata slammed her Cypress Stick as hard as possible into the creature’s face, causing it to crash to the ground just as the other one had done. The duo put their weapons away and Stigmata raised her hand then waited as Malroth didn’t hesitate to run over and slap his hand against hers; the sound of the high five bringing a satisfied smile to both of their faces.

  
  


“Should we check that out now?” Malroth asked, jabbing a thumb in the direction of where the cyan blur had fallen.

  
  


Stigmata nodded and the two ran over quickly to see that, as expected, the cyan blur was a person. A girl in fact with cyan-colored hair long hair and dark brown eyes hidden behind a pair of black spectacle glasses. She was wearing some sort of green farming outfit with thick black boots and she was shaking heavily as she lay on the ground.

  
  


“P-Please stop!!” She pleaded desperately “I didn’t mean to come into the badboon territory!! I just n-needed some acorns and-!”

  
  


The cyan-haired girl must have noticed that the yelps and footsteps of the badboons had ceased because she looked around slightly then smiled in relief, not yet even noticing the duo who were watching her silently. 

  
  


“Must have realized who they were dealing with!” The girl huffed proudly, standing up “if they would have come any closer then I would have-!”

  
  


The girl turned and bumped straight into Malroth as the firmness of his chest made the breath leave the girl’s lungs and cause her to fall back onto the ground. Her eyes widened in surprise and she let out another scream before shuffling backward as quickly as possible while Malroth winced and covered his ears tightly.

  
  


“Please don’t scream,” Stigmata said softly, holding up an arm to keep the destructive boy from punching the girl “his ears are sensitive!”

  
  


She gestured to Malroth’s pointed ears and the girl nodded, almost in a daze, as Stigmata went over to her then held out her hand. After a moment’s hesitation, the girl accepted and the apprentice builder helped pull her to her feet as another dopey smiled wormed its way onto her face and she prepared her introduction.

  
  


“My name is Stigmata, I’m an apprentice builder!” She bounded over to Malroth and looped her arm around his as he rolled his eyes but made no move to push the girl off “and this is Malroth, my frien-!”

  
  


Stigmata paused and stared at Malroth who stared back in confusion. The cyan-haired girl tilted her head to the side in confusion and waited for Stigmata to finish but the apprentice builder was at a loss for words. Malroth had agreed to be her partner, that much she knew, but did that automatically make him her friend? What if he got offended if she said that? Would this be her first friend? She never used the term before with anyone else so he would be if she did say it. 

  
  


“I’m Malroth,” he said confidently, snapping the violet haired girl from her internal conflict “I’m her partner and best friend!” 

  
  


Stigmata’s eyes widened in surprise then softened as Malroth gave her a toothy grin then affectionately dug his knuckles into her head, giving her a noogie. Best friend wasn’t what she was expecting to hear, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t like the way it sounded. 

  
  


“I’m Rosie,” the cyan-haired girl introduced nervously “but that’s a dangerous thing you’re going around doing...telling folks you’re an apprentice builder and all. Don’t you know what Hargon’s cronies would do to you if he heard such talk?!”

  
  


“Hargon and his little pets can try whatever the hell they want but Stig here is strong” Malroth smirked confidently “and besides if they want to get to her, they’d have to go through me!”

  
  


“Besides” Stigmata continued “we won’t be staying long unless we absolutely need to, we only came to Furrowfield in hopes to find some useful materials to bring back to our island. After that, you won’t have to worry about us bothering you or your friends!” 

  
  


“You came here looking for materials huh…” Rosie said more to herself, raising her black glasses up more so they sat comfortably on the bridge of her nose “well if you really are an apprentice builder, then maybe I can help you...and you can help me.”

  
  


Rosie smiled brightly and gently punched her fist into her other open palm; “alright then my mind is made up! I’m sure what the Children of Hargon don’t know can’t hurt them! As the finest farmer in Furrowfield, I feel like it’s my civic duty to give you a tour of the finest garden here!!”

  
  


Without another word, Rosie ran off, beckoning the duo to follow her as Malroth uncrossed his arms and looked at Stigmata for confirmation. Stigmata smiled gleefully and followed the excited farmer as Malroth sighed and did the same.

  
  


To say it was the finest garden was...a stretch.

  
  


The area itself was nothing interesting to look at, the buildings were full of holes and had spiderwebs everywhere, the ground was muddy everywhere and full of dead fruits and vegetables which made the apprentice builder had to hold back a gag of disgust. The only “garden” that was around was a small plot of mud with four healthy dirt blocks in it that held pathetic sheaves of wheat on them.

  
  


“Welcome, to Furrowfield farm!!”

  
  


Rosie turned towards the duo, waiting to see their reactions and was surprised to see two totally different expressions. Malroth’s eye was twitching in disbelief and he held a disgusted sneer on his face as he gazed around the area, whereas Stigmata’s eyes were completely blank and her dopey smile was still spread across her face.

  
  


“Ok” Rosie sighed in defeat “I know it’s not the best, but-”

  
  


“Not the  _ best _ ?!” Malroth exclaimed, kicking at a pile of mud “if this island was running for a competition, it wouldn’t even get the participation award! We came here for fruits, vegetables, and grass; all you have on this island is mud, badboons, and some funky ass wheat! I wouldn’t call this place a garden at all!”

  
  


Rosie flinched at each insult Malroth threw at her then lowered her head in shame as a yelp suddenly exclaimed from where the wheat was and the three of them looked in surprise. Some strange pink creature had appeared right next to what little wheat they had and seconds later it exploded, sending two men Stigmata had not noticed earlier flying back, as what little wheat they had seemed to be destroyed in the explosion.

  
  


“Bonanzo! Perry!”

  
  


The three ran over to the two that had been flung back and saw both a man and a boy, the man looked to be in his early thirties at least and had dark brown hair and eyes along with a dark brown shaggy beard, the boy, however, looked to be about a bit older than Stigmata, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, and he had short orange hair with dark blue eyes that were narrowed slightly in sadness.

  
  


“Are you ok?” Rosie said, helping the older man up “Bonanzo, what happened?!”

  
  


“Another one of them damn spoilspores came and got the jump on us” Bonanzo exhaled in disappointment “Perry and I are fine, but as you can see the rest of our wheat ain’t...that was the last of it too.”

  
  


Bonanzo looked up and raised an eyebrow at the two newcomers who stood beside Rosie, Perry too raised an eyebrow and stood up straight, surveying the duo before him.

  
  


“W’o the blimming ‘eck are these two?” Perry questioned.

  
  


“This is Stigmata!” Rosie said, hoping to lighten the air as she pointed to the violet haired girl “and her partner Malroth, Stigmata’s an apprentice builder and I was hoping she could-!”

  
  


“A builder?!” Perry yelped, cutting Rosie off “w’at is your problem, Rosie?! W’at nutter goes ‘round telling folks t’at? Must be not sane in the ‘ead if you ask me!”

  
  


“Now listen here!” Bonanzo said sternly, pointing at Stigmata and Rosie “they'll be none of this building shit around here you understand that?! We don’t need the Children of Hargon raining down on our necks because of some child that wants to be a builder! You need to leave, now!”

  
  


Bonanzo made to step closer to Stigmata but Malroth’s Oaken Club was already in his hand and he stepped in front of the apprentice builder quietly, his dark red eyes narrowed in anger. Bonanzo scoffed slightly but decided against using force and backed away from him before turning towards Rosie once more.

  
  


“Face it Rosie” he explained “Furrowfield farm is done for, the crops are wasted and we have nothing but mud and spoilspores to work with. It’s time to give the dream up…”

  
  


Bonanzo threw his farm weapon to the ground and walked off to one of the destroyed buildings as Perry sent Rosie a sympathetic look then slowly followed. Malroth watched Bonanzo’s every move in anger, practically glaring daggers into the back of the man’s head and daring him to try anything to harm his builder.

  
  


“Who does that prick think he is?” Malroth growled as Rosie turned towards him slowly “threatening Stigmata just because he doesn’t know how to farm some wheat...what an idiot! But I guess the old fart has a point Stig, this place is nothing but mud now. We’re not gonna find anything here, let’s get Brownbeard and go.”

  
  


“No!”

  
  


Rosie grabbed Stigmata’s hand and pulled the apprentice builder towards her in determination as Malroth glared and pulled out his Oaken Club again, his alert high once again. 

  
  


“I-I don’t mean any harm…” Rosie said weakly, letting go of the builder when she noticed the dangerous look in Malroth’s eyes “I just don’t agree with that! Furrowfield...Furrowfield is my home...I just can’t give up on it that easily.”

  
  


Stigmata stared at Rosie and saw the girl was struggling to hold back the tears that were clearly in her eyes, she knew farming meant a lot to Rosie just by the way she refused to give up on it like that. It reminded Stigmata painfully of herself when it came to her love of building; she wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world so it pained her to see everyone here giving up on Rosie’s dream so easily and leaving her alone to deal with it.

“I’m the greatest farmer Furrowfield has to offer!” Rosie pleaded “and Stigmata’s a builder, so I figured with the two of us, we could restore this place to its former glory...I know we could.”

  
  


Rosie turned towards Stigmata, her lip quivering slightly and her tears still refusing to spill from her eyes.

  
  


“Please, Stigmata...please don’t let my dream die…”

  
  


The apprentice builder slowly turned away from Rosie and surveyed the entire area carefully. Numerous spots held potential for fields of different types of fruits and vegetables, and if she managed the space around those crops properly then she could build other buildings as well as rooms for the others to sleep in and maybe even a barn for them to keep their supplies in. Stigmata muttered quietly to herself and took out her book before writing into it as her eyes continuously flicked from the area around her then back down to the pages of her book. Malroth smiled and crossed his arms as he watched the builder work, whilst Rosie watched in pure confusion; not sure what was going on at all. After a while, the apprentice builder slammed her book closed and turned so she was facing the two again.

  
  


“Well,” Stigmata said confidently, speaking for the first time since she saw the area “it looks like I have some serious building to do around here, and I’ll need your help!”

  
  


Malroth sighed deeply and rolled his eyes as Rosie’s eyes lit up in glee and she jumped up and down in the air, cheering loudly. She went closer to Stigmata and grasped her hands, a bright smile spreading across her face.

  
  


“Let’s do this!!”

  
  


**………….**

  
  


As soon as the apprentice builder had agreed to help Rosie revive Furrowfield back to its former glory, the two set off to work. Stigmata was scribbling fervently into her book and gazing around the area as Rosie scouted out any areas they had left that might contain pure soil. Malroth couldn’t help but stare in awe as the builder zipped around the town collecting grass fibers, then scribbling in her book before going over to the hidden workbench Rosie had shown her. She had given Malroth the task of collecting wood (which he was thankful for, he felt useless just standing around) then left the area and destroyed as many rotten trees as he could find. Once he had returned, the apprentice builder took the wood from him eagerly; the destructive boy and cyan-haired farmer both watched curiously as Stigmata threw those materials together gleefully then held up some sort of strange grass dude on a stick.

  
  


“A scarecrow!” Rosie exclaimed, clapping happily “that’s genius!”

  
  


“A...what?”

  
  


“A scarecrow, Mal” Stigmata explained as she stuck the object in the ground where Rosie had pointed out the fresh soil “that way it’ll be easier to keep track of where the fresh crops are and they won’t have to pick through all this mud to find it!”

  
  


“And luckily we have these!” Rosie said pulling out five seeds from her pockets “cabbage seeds, it’ll be a start but we’ll only continue growing from there! Stigmata, plant these for me, will you? That way you can get the hang of farming!”

  
  


The apprentice builder took the seeds from Rosie gently and went over to the fresh soil as Rosie grabbed a bucket from the workbench then climbed up a small rocky incline to reach the water that was at the top, scooping some up in her bucket. As Stigmata planted the seeds in the soil, Malroth watched Rosie and couldn’t help but notice as she slipped a bit on her way down before composing herself and running over with the bucket of water.

  
  


Malroth pulled the apprentice builder to the side after she finished planting the seeds and crossed his arms; “do you think you could whip up something to help Rosie reach that water easier?”

  
  


Stigmata looked in the direction he was gesturing to then hummed and tapped a finger to her lips before pulling out her book and scribbling something in it. Malroth smirked mischievously and tried to sneak a peek into the apprentice builder’s secret book but before he could register what he was looking at she snapped it closed and gave a satisfied giggle as the ground around the rocky incline started glowing gold and another blueprint showed up.

  
  


“When I give you a thumbs up I need you to break that piece of dirt at the top that’s holding the water in place, alright Mal?!”

  
  


“Whatever you say Stig.”

  
  


Stigmata rounded up some mud then placed it into a large barricade around the rocky incline, it wouldn’t be the prettiest thing in the world but it would be solid enough to keep the water from running rampant everywhere and it would allow the other farmers to be able to reach the water easier and avoid any serious injuries from occurring along the way. By the time the apprentice builder was finished with the barricade, she had mud all on her clothes, hands, and even in her hair, strangely enough, though she didn’t seem to mind. She stood up in satisfaction and gave Malroth a thumbs up as he smirked then raised his Oaken Club and smashed the spoiled soil that was keeping the water in place; instantly the water came rushing down and much to the duo’s glee it sloshed down into the barricade Stigmata had made and stayed there.

  
  


“We did it Mal~!” She cheered as her partner slid down the rocky incline then sprinted forward and gave her a high five.

  
  


“Oh, what’s this?” Rosie exclaimed.

  
  


She ran over quickly and stared at the barricade Stigmata had made before gasping in shock and smiling brightly.

  
  


“A watering hole! That’ll make watering these crops ten times easier than before!” She cheered, jumping up and down in the air once more “you are the best apprentice builder I’ve ever met Stigmata! Furrowfield will be back to its former glory in no time at all!”

  
  


As Rosie was celebrating the newfound watering hole, she began glowing a soft green color and seconds later a small ball of light in the shape of a heart sprung off of her body before floating directly in front of Stigmata’s face, causing the apprentice builder to back away in shock only for the small glowing heart to follow her.

  
  


“Oi!” Malroth said, swatting at the glowing heart with his Oaken Club but to no avail “what the hell is that?!”

  
  


Stigmata furrowed her eyebrows in confusion then snapped her fingers and pulled out her book again before flipping through it again, looking for a certain page in particular.

  
  


“Ah!” She beamed, pointing at the page “here it is! I learned about this in school, they’re called Gratitude Energy! They were first discovered by the Legendary Builder when she would go around and help build things for other people. According to my book here, they’re used to help better enhance a builder’s abilities in building and inspire others to obtain the Power of Creation as well! They come in three different levels of Gratitude: the green ones are small and reward  **happiness gratitude** , the orange ones are average-sized and reward  **thankfulness gratitude** , and the red ones are large and reward  **love gratitude** .”

  
  


“So these little glowing things must be for you then!” Malroth smirked happily as Stigmata put her book away “go on, take it!”

  
  


She nodded and slowly reached forward then grabbed the glowing heart as it slowly disappeared and her body glowed the same soft green before stopping. She felt strange yet warm as an unknown sensation flowed through her body; Stigmata turned towards Malroth and gave her usual dopey smile as Rosie stared at the two in confusion.

  
  


“Did I drop something…?” She asked in embarrassment “what are you two talking about?”

  
  


“Nothing too important Rosie!” Stigmata replied, “just keep on doing what you’re doing now and Furrowfield will be back on its feet in no time!”

  
  


Deciding not to pry into their discussion, Rosie cheered in glee then ran over to continue tending to the cabbages while Stigmata returned to her workbench to fix up the huts in the area.

  
  


**………….**

  
  


The night rolled around sooner than expected as the gentle snores of Furrowfield’s residents intertwined with the gentle hooting of owls.

  
  


Stigmata had fixed up two huts side by side (one for boys and one for girls) by using the wood Malroth had gathered to create softwood, it was both convenient and sturdy enough to stop cold air and unwanted creatures from entering while they slumbered, but also resistant enough to withstand turning rotten like everything else here on Furrowfield island. Stigmata tossed and turned on her bedding and glanced at Rosie who was already lost in the world of dreams. The apprentice builder wasn’t sure why she couldn’t fall asleep; maybe because she was so excited to be building so much...or maybe the fact that she didn’t know what she was doing.

  
  


She had gone from: being a regular apprentice builder in the town of Cantlin, then to being a cabin girl on a monster ship, then to owning her own island, then finally, to helping out the residents of Furrowfield all in less than a week. It seemed all too surreal. Was this even happening? Was any of this real? Did she die from that shipwreck? Is this Heaven?

  
  


If the apprentice builder hadn’t been hesitant before there was no denying that she surely was now. The harsh words Jenny and Nadia had said to her before in Cantlin seemed to rush to her brain and caused her to frown deeply in both fear and anxiety. It was true that she was nothing more than an apprentice builder, she hadn’t passed her official test yet and despite that, she so willingly agreed to help Rosie rebuild Furrowfield. A whole  _ TOWN _ ! How was she supposed to accomplish such a task like that?! What was going through her head when she agreed to do such a thing; she’s not a master builder and she  _ certainly  _ wasn’t the Legendary Builder. The one the mighty Rubiss had chosen herself. Stigmata exhaled shakily and got out of bed as quietly as possible before leaving the small hut, shivering as soon as the cold night air attacked her skin.

  
  


She glanced around the small town and blinked in surprise to see her destructive partner sitting in front of the field of cabbages as though expecting them to grow right in front of his eyes. She hesitantly made her way over to him and upon hearing her footsteps he drew his Oaken Club then stopped and put it away when he noticed who it was. Stigmata sat down beside Malroth and leaned her head on his shoulder as the two just sat in silence, watching the cabbage field.

  
  


“You and Rosie are working hard to build this…” he said quietly after a while “just want to make sure that...you know…”

  
  


He fell silent again and the apprentice builder couldn’t help the soft smile that spread across her face. Malroth had been nothing but supportive towards her since they first met back on the island, she wasn’t entirely sure why but she felt more safe with this destructive boy then she did with anyone else. Malroth, Lulu, and Rosie were all depending on her to build amazing things and they all seemed to have so much faith in her even if the apprentice builder didn’t have any faith in herself; it warmed her heart tremendously to know that she was making an impact in someone's life.

  
  


Stigmata closed her eyes and relaxed more against the destructive boy as he remained perfectly still to not disturb his builder in any way. If being an apprentice builder meant that she could stay surrounded by friends like this for the rest of her life, then…

  
  


“Maybe it’s not so bad” Stigmata muttered quietly, before slipping into a deep slumber.

  
  


**(AN: Hey everyone! So I thought I should clarify some ages in this book for everyone so you’re not confused by how old everyone is. Keep in mind:** **_I DO NOT OWN THE DRAGON QUEST OR DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS SERIES!!!_ ** **I don’t know how old the characters actually are but for the sake of my story, I changed them! So here we go!!**

  
  


**Malroth, Lulu, Nadia, and Stigmata are** **_15_ ** **!**

**By the time the book ends they will all be** **_18_ ** **, and by the time they’re in Skelkatraz, they’ll be 16 and a half so you can see the whole story takes place through years and not months.**

  
  


**Rosie and Perry are 16!**

**By the time the book is over, they’ll be 19!**

  
  


**Bonanzo is 32!**

**By the time the book is over, he’ll be 35!**

  
  


**Babs will be 18!**

**By the time the book is over, she’ll be 21!**

  
  


**Anessa and Warick will be 15!**

**Anessa will age as Stigmata does so by the end of the book she’ll be 18 as well.**

  
  


**I’m not going to name all of the character’s ages, only the ones who I feel are most important right now but they will be hinted at along the way so you can probably figure it out! This’ll probably be the last Author’s note for a while so I hope that cleared up any confusion! Like I said before, please feel free to leave reviews on how I’m doing or thoughts on Stigmata, and don’t be afraid to PM me if you have any questions! Thanks~!)**


	7. Reviving the Deitree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deciding to help restore Furrowfield back to its former glory, Stigmata and Rosie put their heads together!

**Ah…**

  
  


**So the Master of Destruction has befriended the apprentice builder…**

  
  


**Destiny moves in mysterious ways. Neither man nor monsters can escape its influence…**

  
  


**But now is the time of creation…**

  
  


**Build to your heart’s content, young builder, while we await the Day of Awakening…**

  
  


**For there is only one who can save this world from oblivion…**

  
  


**The Lord and Master of Destruction…**

  
  


**Malroth.**

  
  


The next few days seemed to pass by quite soothingly. Bonanzo and Perry still refused to help by any means necessary and the older man would send the apprentice builder dirty looks every now and then but she paid no mind to them whatsoever; Rosie continued to tend to the cabbages and water them, a bright smile gleaming on her face each time she did so. Malroth would patrol the perimeter to ensure that the two hard-working girls could continue what they loved without any baddies trying to get the jump on them (though Stigmata did have to convince her destructive partner to help the other two men when she noticed him laughing while a monster chased Perry.)

  
  


Rosie continued to unknowingly drop small gratitude energy everywhere and Stigmata made sure to round them all up, she wasn’t exactly sure when she would make use of the peculiar little things but for the time being she figured just having them at hand would make doing things easier, and it did inspire her to build more.

  
  


“Stigmata!!!” Rosie yelled suddenly “the cabbages!!!”

  
  


Stigmata looked over worriedly and glanced at Malroth as they both nodded then raced over to the cyan-haired farmer. However, their worries were soon forgotten when they saw five large, succulent, cabbages protruding from the ground; Rosie jumped up and down in glee as Stigmata’s eyes shined in wonder.

  
  


“Wow~!” The apprentice builder exclaimed as Malroth poked at the lush vegetable “they look delicious Rosie!! You really outdid yourself with them!”

  
  


“So these things are cabbages, huh?” Malroth questioned before smirking happily and crossing his arms “compared to everything else here, they look good!”

  
  


The three all continued to celebrate the growth of their cabbages as Stigmata heard footsteps then looked to see Perry run over, his eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at the precious vegetable before them. Malroth’s eyes narrowed and he slowly inched his hand towards his Oaken Club but stopped short when he saw the apprentice builder go closer to Perry.

  
  


“These cabbages’re gurt lush!” He admitted in astonishment “Did you and Rosie grow ‘em all by yourselves? Maybe you are a builder after all…and a rather cute one at that…”

  
  


Stigmata blinked in surprise and smiled shyly as Perry rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Malroth scoffed in annoyance and crossed his arms as he watched the two interact, he wasn’t sure what the heck they were talking about but he didn’t like it. When they first got her, Perry had refused to help them at all with the growth of these cabbages and now that they’re actually here, he wants to try and add his opinion.

  
  


_ ‘And he’s making Stigmata act all weird and shy!’ _ He thought.

  
  


Before Malroth could go over and shoo the boy away, Bonanzo came and grabbed Perry’s shoulder, snapping the boy out of his flirtatious state; “All the more reason why we should shun her accursed presence! Come along now Perry--we’re leaving!”

  
  


Bonanzo stormed off, practically dragging the poor boy with him as Perry sent them both an apologetic look before following Bonanzo back to one of the huts the apprentice builder had fixed. Malroth growled again and went over to Stigmata as Rosie pushed her glasses up and went over as well.

  
  


“That guy  **REALLY** rubs me the wrong one!” Malroth said angrily “why’s the old fart got a grudge against builders anyways? If anything’s accursed around here, it’s that dead dog on his chin he calls a beard!!”

  
  


“I wouldn’t say it was a grudge” Rosie explained as Stigmata elbowed Malroth hard in the ribs “he’s just being cautious. After all, everyone knows that builders spread desolation and despair wherever they go…”

  
  


Malroth’s eyes widened in surprise then narrowed in anger; “who the hell said th-?!”

  
  


“Doesn’t matter who said it” Stigmata smiled, cutting him off “if people think I spread despair and desolation then let them think that, but I’ll continue helping everyone out no matter what. So don’t you worry Rosie, I’m not leaving until Furrowfield is back to its former glory!”

  
  


Rosie’s eyes softened in gratitude and another ball of light sprung off of her as Stigmata grabbed it quickly. The cyan-haired builder adjusted her glasses again and stared at something behind Stigmata before smiling brightly and pointing.

  
  


“See that there?’

  
  


The apprentice builder looked and noticed the bell that was standing over by the edge of town. The gold around the bell was rusted slightly, diminishing the usual gleam of it, and Stigmata could see spiderwebs and old barrels stacked around it like the thing hadn’t been used in years.

  
  


“What is that thing?” Malroth asked curiously as the three went over to it.

  
  


“Well,” Rosie began “there’s an old story about it actually! Once upon a time, a builder came to Furrowfield--the Legendary Builder in fact--she showed the people the wonders of building to earn their awe and appreciation, then she whacked that bell with all her might! When the inhabitants heard it ring out, long and clear, something awoke within them. They were filled with the Power of Creation, and Furrowfield farm flourished!”

  
  


Stigmata stared at the rusty golden bell in deep thought as Malroth kicked at all the barrels surrounding it so they would be able to reach it easier. She knew the Legendary Builder had traveled so widely around the world, but to think she would ever see something that Angel herself had used so many generations ago was astounding. Even more so, since the old bell was still standing tall and proud.

  
  


“Don’t you see Stigmata?!” Rosie said eagerly as the apprentice builder turned towards her “Those funny little things you’ve been picking up must be our appreciation! This means if you hit that bell, something might happen!”

  
  


“Me?!” The violet haired builder exclaimed “Rosie I--! I couldn’t make that bell ring...only the Legendary Builder--”

  
  


“Oh screw her!” Malroth said as he nudged Stigmata towards the bell “she ain’t here now, is she? You’re here!”

  
  


Stigmata gulped nervously and nodded slowly as Malroth and Rosie both inched closer, their eyes full of anticipation and excitement. Stigmata slowly pulled out her hammer and the closer she moved to the bell, the heavier it seemed to get like it was being filled with something; she glanced down at her hammer and was surprised to see it glowing a soft golden color as the bell in front of her did the same. She glanced back at the two who were still anxiously watching.

  
  


“Seriously guys” she hesitated “what if--!”

  
  


“Hit it!” Rosie urged.

  
  


“Ok” Stigmata replied slowly “but what happens if--!”

  
  


“Hit it!!” Malroth snapped.

  
  


“Ok...but what if--!”

  
  


**“HIT IT!!”**

  
  


Stigmata squealed as they both yelled at her then quickly raised the hammer as the golden glow increased before hitting it hard against the bell. Instantly, the rust and cobwebs surrounding the bell seemed to vanish and a loud yet soothing ringing emitted throughout the entire area. A pink and green mist emerged and settled around the entirety of the garden before disappearing. Stigmata’s hammer stopped glowing gold and she noticed; Rosie, Perry, and Bonanzo all started glowing gold before ceasing as a strange look appeared in their eyes then they smiled.

  
  


“I don’t know what you just did,” Malroth said as Perry and Bonanzo ran over “but it was pretty spectacular! It’s like the whole place has been filled with some sort of strange power!”

  
  


“Me ‘ole body’s bin filled with a yearin’ to create!” Perry exclaimed, “I’ve got this uncontrollable urge to go an’ till a field!”

  
  


“I don’t know what you’ve done builder!” Bonanzo added, “but I’ve got this strange energy running through me as well!”

  
  


Stigmata made to reply but a sudden thought struck her head so unexpectedly she was taken aback, not wasting another second, the apprentice builder pulled out her book and began scribbling in it furiously. Everyone watched in excitement as the violet haired builder continued to furiously write in her book, jotting down every recipe that sprang into her mind. Finally, with a satisfied smile, she held the book up for everyone to see as they peered into it then cheered once more.

  
  


“New furniture!” Bonanzo clapped “we could use some of that around here!”

  
  


“That’ll liven things around Furrowfield!” Rosie added.

  
  


“Alright Stig, we’re all very impressed but you can stop posing now” Malroth teased.

  
  


Stigmata quickly stopped, realizing she was, in fact, posing, as Rosie ran up to her happily and swooped the girl into a sweet hug. The apprentice builder smiled and didn’t hesitate to return the hug.

  
  


“I knew this would happen!” She cried “you truly are amazing Stigmata!”

  
  


Bonanzo and Perry snatched up the nearest farming supplies they could and went over to tend to their cabbages as Malroth approached the two hugging girls.

  
  


“Now we just have to try and find a variety of crops” Rosie noted once she let go “our next priority should be wheat, but it might be tricky to find. With you on our side though, I know anything is possible! We’ll have an assortment of fruits and vegetables on this island soon enough; just you wait!”

  
  


“Before we talk about anymore farming, I want to get to the root of all this” Malroth butt in “why does everyone have such a grudge against builders?”

  
  


Rosie’s eyes lit up at Malroth’s words and she poked his chest happily as the destructive boy raised a curious eyebrow. She ran over to one of the huts and looked around for something as the duo waited in confusion, wondering what the cyan-haired farmer was doing. A few moments later she emerged from the hut carrying some sort of strange large, blue bulb.

  
  


“What is that?” Stigmata asked.

  
  


“I don’t know!” Rosie beamed as the duo sighed “but I figured since you’re a builder maybe you can figure out what to do with it!”

  
  


She handed the blue bulb to the violet haired builder and as soon as Stigmata’s hand touched it, the soil in the middle of the farm shot out a bright blue beam causing them to all jump in surprise. The bulb in Stigmata’s hand started to vibrate slightly and the two girls exchanged glances before nodding as the apprentice builder went over to the blue beam. She pushed the mud away and looked to see fresh soil strangely underneath it, without hesitation, she buried the bulb into the soil as Rosie filled a bucket with water and gently sloshed it onto the bulb. The ground started to shake and Malroth quickly ran over then stood in front of the two girls protectively as Bonanzo and Perry raced over.

  
  


“W’at on Earth is going on?!” Perry exclaimed.

  
  


His question was soon answered as a tree trunk sprung from the ground where they had planted the bulb, there were no leaves on the tree at all but a warm, gentle blue and green mist was swirling around the tree trunk. Rosie squealed and quickly took a step back before cowering in fear suddenly.

  
  


“Oh fiddlesticks!” She exclaimed “We’ve really gone and done it this time! The Master of Destruction is sure to strike us down!”

  
  


“Who the hell is that?!” Malroth demanded, “hey Rosie, stop shaking and cough up some answers!”

  
  


“Everyone in Furrowfield follows the teachings of the High Priest, Hargon!” She explained while cowering closer to the tree trunk “he’s the one who banned the use of creation in all forms! The one who teaches us that builders are no good!!”

  
  


“Wait…” Stigmata said slowly “so what does this tree--?”

  
  


“Oi, you lot!” Perry interrupted as his face paled “we’re in an ‘ole ‘eap of trouble! The pastor’s on ‘is way over! ‘E must’ve seen the light from the tree!!”

  
  


“Oh no!!” Rosie squeaked as her eyes watered “P-P-Pastor Al?! He’s here?!?”

  
  


“Pastor WHO?!”

  
  


Malroth’s question was soon answered as a Shaman ran over to them, his anger clear despite the mask he was wearing. His fingers were gripping his staff so tightly, Stigmata thought it might snap, and he was staring at the glowing tree trunk that stood before him.

  
  


“What in the name of Hargon is happening here?!” He demanded, rounding towards the five “who planted this tree? Answer me, faithless wretches!”

  
  


Stigmata looked around at everyone and saw they were all deadly silent; Rosie was still cowering closely to the tree trunk as though she were trying to protect it with her body, Perry’s face was very pale and he was wringing his hands together in nervousness, and Bonanzo was staring at the angry Shaman with a frightened look in his eyes. Despite their fears, though, none of them pointed at or made any attempt to mention Stigmata’s name even though she was the one who planted the tree. The apprentice builder looked over at Rosie and watched the cyan-haired farmer whimper quietly in fear then gently hug the tree trunk, still attempting to protect it.

  
  


Her eyes softened and she exhaled deeply before tightening her two pigtails and stepping forward. Instantly, the Shaman’s attention turned towards her and the three farmers watched worriedly.

  
  


“I planted that tree!” She admitted with a dopey smile “my name is Stigmata, I’m an apprentice builder from Cantlin, and I’m building a farm here on Furrowfield!”

  
  


“Stigmata…” Rosie whispered in fear.

  
  


“What…?” The Shaman said in rage “what…?! WHAT?!? Building a farm, you say?!”

  
  


“That’s right!” She clarified “I built huts for everyone to sleep in and I rang the Builder’s Bell to inspire them too! I’m going to be the best builder this world has ever seen, one that tops even the Legendary Builder!”

  
  


His staff began glowing a bright, ominous red and orange as the other’s backed away quickly and Malroth’s eyes narrowed. Stigmata stood her ground and continued smiling as a deadly aura emitted from the Shaman.

  
  


“Heresy!” He exclaimed, “How dare you sully my island with the sinful stain of creation! You will pay dearly for this!!”

  
  


As soon as those words left the Shaman’s mouth, Malroth pulled out his Oaken Club and stood beside the apprentice builder. Pastor Al might be a devout follower of the Children of Hargon, but he was no fool, and he could sense that picking a fight with that boy would be a grave mistake indeed. The destructive boy’s red eyes narrowed as he glared at the Pastor in resentment, silently daring him to try and harm the violet haired girl beside him.

  
  


“No matter!” The Pastor declared as he slowly lowered his staff “I haven’t the time to waste on this witless-looking whelp anyway!” 

  
  


Malroth wrapped an arm around Stigmata’s shoulders and pulled the girl into his side protectively as she blinked in surprise then smiled and patted his arm gently to get his attention; “I’m fine, Mal! You don’t have to do that!”

  
  


Despite her reassurances though, Malroth continued to hold the apprentice builder closely as she slowly shrugged then leaned more into him, enjoying the warmth he provided. It was strange how warm Malroth was, the air around Furrowfield was always rather cold, yet being snuggled up next to Malroth was like snuggling up next to a toasty furnace.

  
  


_ ‘Maybe I should put his bed with mine…’ _ She thought.

  
  


“Is this…?” 

  
  


Stigmata turned her attention back to the Shaman and noticed he was looking at the tree trunk that Rosie was still hugging protectively.

  
  


“Is it what?!” Malroth demanded, “cough up what you know!”

  
  


“If I am not mistaken…” Pastor Al explained, “this is a young Deitree--the sacred sentinel of the Furrowfield forest, beneath whose blessed boughs this isle once flourished.”

  
  


Pastor Al pondered something for a moment then turned towards the five of them; “Hear me, my wayward vassals! I have had a change of heart, I have seen the fruits of your labors, and I have decided to forgive you of your sins! My superiors need not know of your...arboreal indiscretion, I will keep your secret, so long as you keep growing this tree--but should it dwindle and die, then so shall you!”

  
  


They all blinked in astonishment and Rosie let go of the young Deitree before standing up straight and facing Pastor Al; “wait...so you’re just letting us go? You’re not gonna kill us?!”

  
  


“No need to sound disappointed” Bonanzo muttered.

  
  


“I su’pose Pastor is just all talk t’en” Perry said with a shrug.

  
  


“SILENCE!!”

  
  


The Pastor gave another threatening wave of his staff as Percy and Bonanzo both cowered in fear whereas Rosie cheered happily then turned towards the apprentice builder, who was still being held by Malroth.

  
  


“Did you hear that, Stigmata?!” She said happily “we can grow the Deitree, that’ll help out Furrowfield in no time!”

  
  


“I heard it loud and clear” Stigmata beamed, gently squirming from Malroth’s grip “but the only problem is...we don’t exactly know  **HOW** to grow the Deitree, would just normal water work on a magic tree?”

  
  


“You need not worry on that account, my child,” Pastor Al intervened, “Furrowfield’s most ancient legends tell of exactly what one must do to see a Deitree grow tall and strong.”

  
  


The five gathered around and listened as Pastor Al told them exactly what must be done to get the Deitree to grow more; from what he was describing it already seemed like quite a hefty task. They had to harvest fifteen cabbages, fifty sheaves of wheat, and till fifty blocks of dirt. Stigmata was confident they would complete these tasks but finding these materials was where the real challenge sprung from. So far, they only had five cabbage seeds and twenty blocks of clean soil tilled, the rest of the soil was muddy and impossible to work with. Also, they had no wheat whatsoever so providing fifty sheaves of it would have to wait for quite a while. 

  
  


“Hold on!” Malroth said, snapping Stigmata from her thought process “a creepy monster turns up out of the blue, and suddenly you’re all going along with everything he says? What makes you think he can be trusted? Why do you all believe this  _ ‘Children of Hargon’ _ shit when your so-called pastor is dressed up like someone’s grandma?!?”

  
  


“Care to repeat that?!” Pastor Al snapped as he raised his staff once more.

  
  


Malroth smirked and started walking towards him as Stigmata grabbed his hand suddenly and pulled him back towards her gently. He growled and continued trying to make his way towards the Pastor as Rosie went over to Stigmata, thinking deeply about something.

  
  


“Well,” Rosie said “as far as wheat goes, we don’t have any of that just lying around, but there used to be a little mill town to the east of here! It’s been abandoned now but maybe there could still be some wheat seeds there?”

  
  


“It’s worth a shot” Malroth shrugged before smirking happily “come on Stigmata, let’s go check it out!”

  
  


“Wait!” Perry exclaimed “you lot are ‘eading out now?! The sun is about to set!”

  
  


“So?”

  
  


“SO! T’e mean spirits will get you!” Perry explained.

  
  


“Don’t worry Perry” Stigmata reassured with a bright smile, “I’m not scared of a couple of spirits! Besides, I’ve got Mal to protect me so I’ll be fine and dandy!!”

  
  


With that, the apprentice builder ran off east before the orange-haired farmer could say anything, her destructive partner following right at her heels.

  
  


**…**

  
  


“Oi Stig! Get a load of that massive building! Reckon there are still seeds in there?”

  
  


Stigmata looked at the tall old mill and saw that it had holes in it everywhere and looked like it might collapse at any minute. Vines and moss were growing all around the building as well as giant cobwebs that looked to have been there for quite a long time.

  
  


“Only one way to find out” she replied happily “and Perry was right about it getting dark fast, we might have to spend the night in there so we can avoid running into too many of those mean spirits on our way back.”

  
  


“Whatever you say” Malroth replied, rolling his eyes “I could easily handle a couple of scythe-wielding baddies though…”

  
  


Stigmata giggled and the duo entered the abandoned mill before taking the stairs that led up to the very top. Malroth cleared away the cobwebs that were in their way (noticing the apprentice builder looked hesitant to touch them) and they got to the top floor in no time as Stigmata grabbed all the barrels lying around and blocked the staircase with them; this way nothing could creep up on them while they slept.

  
  


“Uh...Stig?”

  
  


Stigmata looked and was surprised to see there was a girl, with some sort of blue knights armor on sitting on the balcony sadly as Malroth watched her cautiously. She seemed oblivious to the duo that was staring at her, and her head was hung low as she talked to herself.

  
  


“First I get attacked by monsters, then my weapon breaks clean in half!” The girl whined to herself “I can’t even right now! There’s like...totally an anvil over there but I can’t build to save my life, man!!”

  
  


Malroth gave the apprentice builder a look and she smiled before breaking one of the barrels so she had some wood then going over to the anvil the sad girl had mentioned. A few seconds later, Stigmata held another Cypress Stick similar to her own and she skipped over to the girl on the balcony before holding it out to her, finally gaining her attention.

  
  


“Who are you?” She questioned curiously before looking at the Cypress Stick and gasping happily “Oh! Em! Gee!! Is that what I think it is?!”

  
  


The girl sprang up and grabbed the Cypress Stick before swinging it around happily, a bright and gleeful smile spreading across her face. Stigmata couldn’t help but smile as she watched the girl use the Cypress Stick, it reminded her of how happy Malroth had gotten when she gave him his Oaken Club.

  
  


“This Cypress Stick is the G.O.A.T!” The girl exclaimed “my name is Britney by the way!! Thanks for this man, you literally saved my life! All I had were some stupid seeds, I can’t fight with these!!”

  
  


Britney took out a small sack from her bag and held it out for Stigmata to take as the apprentice builder grabbed it then looked inside. To her delight, she saw a few seeds in the bag that could be wheat seeds but she would have to confirm it with Rosie tomorrow in the morning. Running into Britney had turned out to be more beneficial then Stigmata had originally thought.

  
  


“Nice to meet you, Britney,” she introduced “my name is Stigmata, I’m an apprentice builder, and this is my...best friend Malroth! We’re helping rebuild Furrowfield farm so these seeds you gave me will be a really big help!”

  
  
  


“Yeah,” Malroth added, “and if you’ve got a problem with that then that’s too damn bad!”

“You’re an apprentice builder” Britney gasped before smiling again “oh you are  **BOLD** ! I like you already, mind if I come back with you to this Furrowfield place? Seems like it could be a pretty lit experience.”

  
  


“Of course you can come! But for tonight we’re going to sleep here so we don’t have to deal with the mean spirits outside.”

  
  


Britney nodded and Stigmata searched the top floor of the mill, looking for whatever she could find that could be used for them to sleep on for the night; the floor would work just fine but if she could make the ground even a little bit more comfortable for Britney and Malroth, then she would do her best. The apprentice builder stacked some dusty flour sacks she had found in the corner the best she could then pounded them with her fist so the flour inside would unstiffen and allow for a comfier sleeping experience.

  
  


“There,” she said after a while “it’s not much, but it’ll do for the night!”

  
  


“Bet!” 

  
  


Britney charged at one of the makeshift flour beds and flopped on it before sighing in satisfaction as Stigmata giggled and Malroth rolled his eyes with a small chuckle.

  
  


“Now I’m going to  _ suddenly  _ fall asleep so the author can do a cute moment between you guys,” Britany said with a wink before turning over in her bed “goodnight!”

  
  


“Wait,” Malroth said in confusion “the auth--?”

  
  


Britney’s loud snores cut right through his question and he rolled his eyes again as Stigmata kicked off her shoes then sat upon her makeshift flour bed. Britney was definitely an odd one, that was for sure, but the apprentice builder couldn’t deny that she was a joy to be around. Stigmata laid down and exhaled deeply as a cold breeze suddenly came through the holes in the wall and attacked her skin, causing her to shiver. Malroth noticed the apprentice builder shivering so he went over quickly and stared down at her as she looked up at him curiously.

  
  


“What’s wrong Mal?”

  
  


He didn’t answer.

  
  


Stigmata continued staring up at her destructive partner, feeling her face heat up from the unbreaking gaze he seemed to have. Another cold breeze whipped through the building again and she shivered, causing Malroth to move closer to her again then slowly try to lay on the makeshift flour bed with her. 

  
  


“Hey!” She pouted, “You have your own bed!”

  
  


Malroth ignored her whines and wrapped his arms around the apprentice builder, pulling her close into his chest before closing his eyes. The apprentice builder shifted over and poked his chest repeatedly to try and make him get off but he didn’t budge. Stigmata sighed deeply and gave up then stared at Malroth, feeling her entire face burning with heat as his warmth surrounded her again as it had done earlier. She understood why he did it, he must have noticed how she snuggled into him earlier so he was utilizing his warmth again to stop her from shivering. Still, despite that, Stigmata couldn’t help but feel nervous for some reason.

  
  


Maybe it was because she had never shared a bed with a boy before.

  
  


Granted, this was just a pitiful little excuse of a bed made out of nothing but flour sacks. Also, she had slept in the same hut as him back on the island with Lulu, but to her...this was entirely different. She wondered what her parents would say if they saw her like this: cuddled up with some boy she hardly knew in an abandoned flour mill, collecting wheat seeds to help some farmers she barely knew.

  
  


_ ‘I’m glad they aren’t here’  _ She thought in realization  _ ‘I would definitely be grounded right now.’ _

  
  


Stigmata slowly looked at Malroth and saw his eyes were still closed, whether he was awake or asleep, she didn’t know but she thought it best to not disturb him. It was already very dark out and she was positive they would have their work cut out for them come tomorrow. 

  
  


The apprentice builder closed her eyes and snuggled as much into Malroth as possible without touching his abs (which she felt like were exceptionally good for that of a fifteen-year-old) then fell into another peaceful sleep, completely engulfed in the warmth that he provided.


	8. Next task: Finding wiggly!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the new Deitree planted firmly in the ground, Stigmata and Malroth must go through all of Pastor Al's request to see it grow!

Morning rolled around sooner than the trio would have pleased and they stretched their aching limbs before getting ready to head back to Furrowfield farm. Stigmata had to admit, while it seemed like a good idea at the time, she would not be sleeping on any flour sacks ever again.

  
  


“My back is like...totally wrecked!” Britney whined, stretching her limbs as well while Stigmata removed the barrels from in front of the stairwell “I hope you guys have comfier beds then this back at the farm!!”

  
  


“We do,” Stigmata reassured “now let’s get going! We still have to introduce you to everyone and get these wheat seeds planted!”

  
  


“About time!” Malroth said, pulling out his Oaken Club “let’s get this show on the road!!”

  
  


Malroth started down the stairs but as soon as his foot hit the first step, the wood underneath him gave way, causing the destructive boy to yelp loudly and tumble down the wooden staircase. Britney and Stigmata watched as Malroth fell, flinching when he hit every step on the way down before he finally came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs where he crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

  
  


“You alright, Malroth?!”

  
  


“Just...peachy…”

  
  


“Hold up…” Britney said suddenly, turning away from Stigmata and looking around curiously “I’m getting some, like, seriously sketchy vibes all of a sudden.”

  
  


She ran to the balcony and Stigmata followed as the two looked down below at the entrance to see a multitude of blue iron ants milling around, as though they were waiting on the trio to leave the abandoned flour mill.

  
  


“Oh no! Not more of them!” She whined “this place is, like, right on top of an ants’ nest!! I clobbered so many of them on the way here that my sword literally broke! Like...literally!!”

  
  


“Well, it doesn’t look like they’re leaving anytime soon” Stigmata noted.

  
  


The apprentice builder bounded down the stairs, careful not to fall as Malroth had done, then went over to the destructive boy and helped him up as he huffed angrily and dusted himself off.

  
  


“Ready to beat some more baddies, Mal?!” She asked in glee, taking out her Cypress Stick.

  
  


Malroth smirked happily in response and raced outside without a moment’s hesitation as Britney and Stigmata followed shortly after. The iron ants turned in their direction when they left the abandoned flour mill and charged at the trio; before they could attack, Malroth slammed his Oaken Club into the ones that were dangerously close as Stigmata used her Cypress Stick to swat away the ones that tried to leap towards them. Britney quickly dodged an iron ants’ pincers and rolled to the side before slamming it hard in the head with her Cypress Stick then kicking away another one that tried to sneak up on her from behind. 

  
  


One of the ants latched its pincers on Stigmata’s dress and pulled on it roughly as the fabric began to tear and the force of it pulled the apprentice builder to the ground; one of the iron ants lunged towards Stigmata and tried to bite her with its pincers while she was on the ground but she quickly jabbed her Cypress Stick into the creature’s mouth causing it to let out a loud sound of pain then quickly move away. Malroth raced over and kicked away the ant that was clinging onto Stigmata’s dress before hoisting the builder to her feet.

  
  


“Thanks, Mal!” She smiled brightly, running over and snatching her weapon from the dead creature that had choked on it.

  
  


“Yeah, yeah, yeah! If I didn’t know any better I’d say you get off on me saving your ass!”

  
  


Stigmata pouted and continued fending off the numerous ants. After what seemed like a full hour, the iron ants laid on the ground, all slain, as Britney and Stigmata panted heavily in exhaustion; Malroth, however, didn’t seem to be affected at all and still looked raring to go for another fight.

  
  


“That was a piece of cake!” He exclaimed in glee, raising his hand as Stigmata quickly went over and gave him a high five “send me a hundred more of them!!”

  
  


“Maybe not the best idea right now…” Stigmata giggled, still feeling a bit tired from the fight.

  
  


“That was so lit!” Britney said “We totally crushed those ants like...like ants!! But on another note, you said you were a builder, right? Then you mentioned something about rebuilding Furrowfield farm too...you’re totally going to get some, like, divine retribution for all this! The Master of Destruction will seriously smite you! Still...you deffo seem to have a knack for this whole building deal, this Cypress Stick you made me is legit! Maybe building isn’t that bad after all!!”

  
  


“It’s not” Malroth interjected “don’t let the rest of those weirdos back at the farm try to convince you otherwise either! Stig and I, we’re gonna give this  _ ‘Master of Destruction’ _ guy a good wallop to the head and show him what building’s all about!”

  
  


Stigmata giggled slightly and put her Cypress Stick away; “well come on you two, we need to head back to the farm now, we can't afford to waste the day standing around chatting.”

  
  


They both nodded in agreement and jogged back to Furrowfield farm, encountering a few Maulusc on the way which Malroth easily took care of with a few swings of his Oaken Club.

…

The trio made it back to town in no time at all and everyone gathered around happily, waiting to see who the new arrival was. 

  
  


Britney went to the center of town and stood in front of the young Deitree gleefully as everyone watched happily. Stigmata and Malroth went and stood beside her to get started on introductions as Rosie ran over as well, her cyan-colored hair bouncing merrily behind her.

  
  


“Woah!!” Britney exclaimed, looking around in awe, “this place is LIT! Is that the Deitree?! And get a load of that sweet farming set-up you’ve got going on! Alright listen, so I’m a soldier, right? But I’m more of a breaker then a builder so I figured if you let me stick around I can guard this place while you go around doing all the building!!”

  
  


“Why of course!” Rosie added before Stigmata could even open her mouth “Malroth always runs off with Stigmata anyways so we desperately need someone to stick around and defend the farm when they go on adventures!”

  
  


“Oi…” Malroth began.

  
  


“Oh man! I am SO looking forward to this!” Britney interjected “It’s gonna be so much fun telling those weirdos in their stuffy robes where they can stick their stupid rules! Screw the Children of Hargon, from here on out we’ll be called the Children of Stigmata!”

  
  


Pastor Al’s staff began glowing a bright red and orange as Perry and Bonanzo cowered in fear. Stigmata sighed deeply and shook her head with a small giggle, watching Britney stare at the Shaman in utter confusion and shock at not knowing he was there.

  
  


“Bold words, indeed” Pastor Al hissed “will you still be so brave when the Master of Destruction shatters your arms and armor into a thousand pieces?!”

  
  


“Who the hell invited this dude?!”

  
  


“That’s just Pastor Al” Stigmata reassured, “he’s harmless!”

  
  


“Harmless you say?!?”

  
  


“Oh, can it grandma!!” Malroth snapped.

  
  


Malroth and Pastor Al began arguing back and forth with one another as Britney carefully snuck off so as not to get caught up in the crossfire. Rosie, seeing that Malroth was going to be preoccupied for a while, gently grabbed Stigmata’s arm and pulled her aside. Stigmata looked at Rosie and tilted her head curiously as she watched the cyan-haired farmer pull out some strange small bag and hold it out to her happily.

  
  


“Ta-da~!”

  
  


“Oh! A...bag…” Stigmata said, taking it from Rosie “thank you it’s lovely!! Um...what is it for?”

  
  


“It’s not just any old random bag” Rosie explained “it has magic properties in it like those gloves you have! Pastor Al helped me to make it! I figured, as much as you and Malroth go out on adventures you probably have a lot of stuff you need to carry with you or want to bring back, so that’s what this bag is for! It can carry a crazy amount of stuff and when you stick your hand in it, you just think about what you have in there that you want to come out and it’ll appear in your hand!”

  
  


Stigmata’s eyes shined brightly in amazement and she took the bag carefully before looping it into the belt around her waist so it stayed securely into place.

  
  


“This will help me out a bunch Rosie!!” She said pulling the girl into a warm hug “thank you!!”

  
  


Rosie blushed happily and hugged the apprentice builder back as Britney ran over to the two, a sudden thought striking in her head.

  
  


“Hey you two” she beamed “sorry to interrupt your girly moment, but the author just reminded me of my lines!”

  
  


“The author?” Rosie questioned, tilting her head to the side.

  
  


“Anyways” Britney continued, completely ignoring Rosie’s question “I was having a quick peek around the place and noticing all the gnarly stuff you have built so far, but I noticed you guys totally don’t have much in the way of crops. You like, can’t call this place a farm if you don’t even have crops!”

  
  


“Yeah you’re right, but it’s been difficult to find any” Stigmata said “all we have so far are a few cabbage seeds and now these five wheat seeds you’ve given me. It’s a start but it's nowhere near enough to call this place the best farm in the world.”

  
  


“And another problem is, of course, finding any fresh soil to plant the seeds in” Rosie added, “I may be the finest farmer on Furrowfield, but I can’t conjure clean soil out of thin air…”

  
  


The three girls sulked slightly and got lost in thought at a way to solve their two biggest problems at hand: clean soil and seeds. Stigmata doubted anyone here would be able to convert this gunk they had into fresh clean soil, she was sure not even the Pastor had some sort of spell that could do that. Then even if by some stroke of luck, they  **DID** manage to get clean soil, they would still need to find a lot more seeds to make a large enough field of crops, and finding a broader variety of crops would be most beneficial to them as well. Britney snapped her fingers and smiled brightly in realization as Stigmata and Rosie both looked at her curiously.

  
  


“I have heard this hot guss about a wiggly who lives somewhere near here,” she said “he’s part of this, like, tribe that can clean up spoiled soil. The Children of Hargon were like ‘I don’t think so mate’, so he’s laying low in the burrow.”

  
  


“You’re saying there’s a giant worm out there who can solve our soil problem!” Rosie exclaimed “That sounds almost too good to be true! We should bring him here right now!” She turned towards Stigmata who gave her a dopey smile in return “what do you say Stigmata?! You up for one more trip today before it gets too dark?!”

  
  


“I’m ALWAYS up for an adventure Rosie!” Stigmata clarified “Mal and I will head out right now!”

  
  


The cyan-haired farmer clapped happily and began cheering as Stigmata went over to Malroth who was still (to no one’s surprise) arguing with Pastor Al. The apprentice builder stopped some distance away and listened to the two’s conversation and saw the Pastor’s staff was still glowing bright orange and red, and Malroth had his Oaken Club out and ready to swing.

  
  


“You’ve got some nerve thinking you can boss us around!” Malroth growled, “you know by helping us revive the Deitree  **YOU’RE** betraying the Children of Hargon too, right?!”

  
  


“Blasphemy!” Pastor Al exclaimed, flourishing his staff “you humans have certainly gotten bolder nowadays!! I believe this might be your doing, is it not?! I knew I should have finished you off the moment I laid my eyes upon you!”

  
  


“I’m surprised you can see me at all with that dumb mask you’ve got on, grandma!!”

  
  


Stigmata rolled her eyes and held back a giggle as she went over to the two men then grabbed Malroth’s arm to make him lower his Oaken Club. Malroth huffed angrily and lowered his weapon as Stigmata gently poked Pastor Al’s staff, causing the Shaman to glare at her before slowly lowering the weapon as well.

  
  


“Sorry to interrupt your little conversation,” the apprentice builder said with a roll of her eyes “but Britney just told me about a way we can solve our soil problem so we have to go check it out.”

  
  


“Ah,” Pastor Al said in sudden thought “she must be referring to the wiggly clan. If there are any of them left they would be in hiding, their burrows used to be to the southeast so that would be as good a place to start as any.”

  
  


“Alright!” 

  
  


Stigmata made sure she had her Cypress Stick and the bag Rosie had given her, then turned towards Malroth to see his cheeks were light pink.

  
  


“Um...Stig” he said slowly “when we fought those ants earlier...they kinda...ripped your dress a bit.”

  
  


She blinked in surprise and looked around her dress to see what Malroth was talking about. She soon found it, and her face warmed greatly when she saw the dress was ripped in the back and exposing her back and a bit of her behind (luckily she had shorts on underneath so her undergarments were not exposed). The violet-haired builder quickly ran into one of the huts as Rosie and Britney giggled, whereas Malroth took a deep breath and shook his head to get that image out of his mind.

  
  


After a while, Stigmata emerged from the hut with her dress completely fixed and a blank expression on her face, before running off in the direction Pastor Al had mentioned earlier. Malroth chuckled and followed her as the inhabitants of Furrowfield farm bid them farewell and safe travels on their journey.

  
  


“You know,” Malroth said once he easily caught up to the apprentice builder “I’m surprised you didn’t feel that your dress was ripped in the back. Wasn’t it a little breezy?”

  
  


“I didn’t notice!” Stigmata snapped “and if I had, then I would have fixed it long before you pointed it out! Ugh...I bet you Britney saw it and just didn’t say anything…”

  
  


“She probably did” Malroth agreed “she’s more mischievous then I am and that’s saying something.”

  
  


Stigmata huffed and pouted angrily as Malroth laughed and poked the apprentice builder’s cheeks teasingly. If Malroth had seen her dress ripped like that, then she was sure the others did too. Perry, Bonanzo, Britney, Rosie, and probably Pastor Al as well; yet none of them told her! The thought made Stigmata pout even more which Malroth took as an invitation to squeeze her cheeks.

  
  


“Squeak! A new bunch of faces around here? Well, it’s always nice to see some humans!!”

  
  


Malroth and Stigmata both stopped in their tracks at the unknown voice then slowly turned to see two fat blue rats standing by some strange glass orb. Stigmata gave Malroth a look and he simply shrugged his shoulders in response; the apprentice builder went over to the fat rat and knelt so she could talk to it easier.

  
  


“Hello little fat rat,” she said happily, “would you happen to know where the wiggly around here is?”

  
  


“Squeak! A wiggly?!” The rat exclaimed “I ain’t see one of them in a lick of Sundays but if there are any left they’d be over there” the rat pointed in a direction towards the forest as Stigmata nodded in understanding “but before you head off, be sure to talk to my friend over there by the orb! Squeak! He’ll have some information that can help you out!”

  
  


“Ok!” The apprentice builder said, rubbing the rat’s head affectionately “thank you little rat~!”

  
  


The duo went over to the other rat, leaving the other one behind to remain flustered from Stigmata’s head pat. Malroth leaned down in front of the fat rat and pulled out his Oaken Club before poking it in its chest repeatedly, causing it to squeak in fear and shock.

  
  


“Alright!” Malroth demanded, poking it harder “your friend over there said you had some information so cough it up or else!!”

  
  


“Malroth!” Stigmata exclaimed before sighing deeply and kneeling as well, she gently swatted the Oaken Club away from the terrified rat then smiled softly “sorry about him. My name is Stigmata, I’m an apprentice builder from Cantlin, and this is my best friend Malroth. Your friend told us you had some information that might be helpful to us.”

  
  


“Squeak! I do!” The rat reassured, moving away from Malroth and closer to the violet-haired builder “we fat rats do our utmost best to help out any humans that come by! Though, it has been a long while since I’ve spoken to a builder, let alone one that openly expresses it!! You’re not afraid of the Children of Hargon?!”

  
  


“Ah screw them,” Malroth said “the Children of Hargon sound like nothing but a bunch of sissies anyways!! If they try to come anywhere near Stig and I, I’ll show them  **AND** their  _ Master of Destruction _ whose boss!!”

  
  


Stigmata smiled softly and nodded in agreement. Malroth sure was an amazing friend to have, even though so many people believed builders were a bad omen, he never once doubted her skills and even stood up for her when people tried to degrade her. She scooted closer to Malroth and relaxed more as the fat rat looked between the two then squeaked repeatedly like he was laughing.

  
  


“Well then builder, squeak! That’s some great friend you’ve got!!”

  
  


The duo exchanged a look and smiled brightly before looking back at the rat.

  
  


“Now! Squeak!” The rat began, having gone off-topic “this orb behind me just ain’t some regular orb you know! It’s a Naviglobe, they’re scattered all across this island and other parts of the world too! They were plopped down a long time ago by the Legendary Builder!”

  
  


“A Naviglobe…” Stigmata said, staring at the shimmering orb “and the Legendary Builder put them down? What do they do little rat~?”

  
  


“Squeak! You got a map on you, builder?”

  
  


Stigmata nodded and reached into the bag Rosie had given her before picturing in her mind the map Brownbeard had lent her when they got off the ship. She felt something fly into her hand and looked to see the map so she opened it up and spread it on the ground in front of them all.

  
  


“Perfect!” The rat said “now see what this Naviglobe does is allow you to warp from place to place and save you a long walk. It’s convenient for when you travel long distances and need to warp back home or when you have to get somewhere far before nightfall!”

  
  


“That does sound useful” Malroth added, “walking around this whole island just sounds like a pain in the ass.”

  
  


“Squeak! Just remember that the Naviglobe only works if you activate them” The rat clarified “to activate it, just go on over and touch it then that Naviglobe will appear on your map. To warp to that Naviglobe just touch the Naviglobe location on your map, hold onto each other tight, and ta-da!! You’ve successfully warped!!”

  
  


“That’s all there is to it?” Stigmata questioned, “well that sounds painless enough!”

  
  


The apprentice builder stood up and went over to the Naviglobe before placing her hand on it. As soon as she did, she felt a small surge of power surround her and Malroth, as the Naviglobe began glowing a bright blue. Stigmata’s map also began glowing blue for a second and Malroth watched it to see a glowing gold  **X** pop on the location they were standing at with the words “Fat Rat Rise” underneath it in tiny print.

  
  


“Hey, Stig!” The destructive boy said, staring at the map in glee “it worked! Can I touch it…?”

  
  


“Squeak!! Don’t touch--!!”

  
  


However, the fat rat’s words fell on deaf ears as Malroth touched the glowing golden X on the map. As soon as he did, the apprentice builder and the destructive boy were both lifted forcibly into the air by some unknown force as they tousled around in the air, unable to grab onto anything to keep their balance. They heard a loud crashing sound like that of thunder and an intense wave of pain flooded both of their heads as their vision blurred then they were dropped suddenly, landing directly in front of the fat rat again.

  
  


Stigmata groaned heavily in pain and clutched her side as the wave of pain that had gone through her head vanished as quickly as it had come. She felt like she had just been thrown into a washing machine and did the spin cycle before being thrown into the dryer afterward; her sides and legs ached painfully and her stomach felt queasy like she had to throw up. Malroth groaned loudly then threw up in the nearest bush he could find as the fat rat sighed deeply and shook its head.

  
  


“Squeak! Next time listen to me, you idiot!!” The rat yelled, whipping Malroth with its tail “only the Builder is supposed to navigate the Naviglobes!! And you have to prepare yourself before each warp so you won’t get hurt like that!!”

  
  


“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THAT BEFORE I TOUCHED IT, DUMBASS RAT?!?”

  
  


“SQUEAK! I TRIED TO, SQUEAK!! YOU DIDN’T LISTEN, SQUEAK!!”

  
  


Stigmata slowly stood up, ignoring the yelling and squeaking that was going on behind her, before quickly swooping up her map and shoving it back in her bag. They had already wasted enough time getting sidetracked by the rats then to make matters worse she felt like crap so if they ran into any monsters she wouldn’t be able to perform her best.

  
  


“Mal…”

  
  


“UGLY FAT RAT!! NEXT TIME TELL US IMPORTANT STUFF FIRST!!”

  
  


“SQUEAK!! SQUEAK!! SQUEAK!!!”

  
  


“Mal…?” Stigmata called again.

  
  


“SPEAK ENGLISH YOU IDIOT!!”

  
  


“SQUEAK! I’M TRYING TO BUT YOU MADE ME SO ANGRY!! SQUEAK!! WHAT IS A BUILDER DOING TRAVELLING WITH A HOTHEAD LIKE YOU?! SQUEAK!!”

  
  


“Malroth…”

  
  


“DON’T QUESTION STIG AND I!! WE’RE BEST FRIENDS YOU STUPID RAT!!!”

  
  


“MALROTH!!!!”

  
  


Malroth and the fat rat both flinched at hearing the apprentice builder yell and slowly turned their heads to see her glaring at both of them, her arms crossed over her chest in annoyance. Malroth quickly got up and dusted off his pants before going towards the apprentice builder with an apologetic smile on his face, only earning him another glare from Stigmata.

  
  


“Thank you, little rat” she hissed through gritted teeth “but we have somewhere to be now…”

  
  


With that, Stigmata walked off in the direction of where the wiggly burrows were, not even bothering to wait on Malroth who sighed deeply and followed after the pissed off girl. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Stigmata pissed off before so he wasn’t sure how to handle the situation; not even back on the island when Lulu was barking all those orders did Stigmata seem the least bit upset.

  
  


“Hey Stig, you mad at me?” He asked slowly.

  
  


The apprentice builder shot him another glare but the glare vanished as soon as it had come when she saw the puppy eyes he was giving her. Stigmata giggled, causing Malroth’s eyes to light up in glee, as the two entered a forest.

  
  


“No, I’m not mad Mal” she reassured, “I just wish you would listen to me more.”

  
  


“I do listen to you!” He protested before pulling out his Oaken Club with a huff “that stupid rat just really rubbed me the wrong way...like that Boney guy!!”

  
  


“Bonanzo.”

  
  


“Same thing” Malroth clarified “why, if he was here right now I’d give him a good smack just like this!!”

  
  


Malroth swung his Oaken Club hard and it connected with a Dracky that had unknowingly been flying close to Stigmata’s head, sending the poor thing flying off and slamming hard into a tree, obviously dead. Stigmata and Malroth both exchanged a look as a multitude of Dracky’s came out from the tree and headed towards the duo, ready to avenge their fallen comrade.

  
  


“I can’t catch a break with you, Mal,” The apprentice builder said with a smile, pulling out her Cypress Stick as Malroth smirked in glee and raced towards the Dracky.


	9. Friend like you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malroth and Stigmata locate the wiggly, but have a bad run-in with some of the Children of Hargon!

Malroth swung his Oaken Club and sent the last Dracky tumbling to the ground as Stigmata watched him silently, an idea already forming in her mind.

  
  


The apprentice builder took out her book from her backpack and began writing in it happily as Malroth turned and looked at her curiously. He ran over and watched as the violet haired builder continued to write in her book before putting it away with a satisfied giggle, her dopey smile as prominent as ever.

  
  


“Hey Stig, did you just invent something right now?” He questioned.

  
  


“I sure did, Mal!” She said happily “I was watching the way you handled those Dracky, and I got a new idea for a weapon!! A stone sword, it’ll be a lot more helpful than this Cypress Stick and I could fight ten times better!!”

  
  


“Ha! That’s great!” Malroth agreed, placing his hands on his hips “I better keep fighting then--I can’t wait to see what kind of wild weapon you’ll dream up next! If you do come up with any new recipes for arms and armor, you might be better off using one of those anvil things to make it, wouldn’t you?”

  
  


“You’re right, Mal” she agreed “now let’s keep moving! I feel like we’re getting closer to the burrow now!”

  
  


Malroth nodded and the duo continued moving through the forest; Malroth used his Oaken Club to take down any Dracky that got close to the apprentice builder, as Stigmata collected sticks and stones before tossing them in the bag Rosie had given her. After what seemed like another half hour, the two finally arrived at the Burrows and peeked inside to see it was pitch dark inside and the passage to get inside was rather steep.

  
  


“Reckon we can climb down that…?” Malroth said with a tilt of his head.

  
  


Stigmata hummed in response and carefully stepped inside the steep entrance of the burrow. Her weight held there and she smiled at the destructive boy.

  
  


“Looks safe to m--”

  
  


Before she could finish her sentence, the ground underneath her started sliding and she yelped before falling on her butt and sliding into the burrow. Malroth’s eyes widened and he jumped into the burrow after the apprentice builder before grabbing her by the waist then quickly grabbing onto a vine that was growing on the side of the burrow. Stigmata grunted in pain at the force of the sudden stop and exhaled shakily as she stared down into the burrow; despite it being somewhat underground, it was bright in the underground burrow, enough so for Stigmata to see a gangle of monsters at the bottom of the burrow surrounding a giant worm.

  
  


“You need to be more careful!!” Malroth hissed, setting the girl down carefully as he let go of the vine and stood beside her, “you could have--!”

  
  


“Malroth!” She whispered, “look…”

  
  


The destructive boy halted his rant and looked to see the gangle of monsters surrounding the giant worm as well. The duo gave one another a look then nodded and crouched down to hide slightly, listening in on the conversation that was taking place. One of the skeletons stepped forward and brandished his sword threateningly as the wiggly reared back slightly in obvious fear.

  
  


“Keh, heh, heh!” The skeleton cackled “we’ve finally found you, spineless worm! We heard you’ve been making clean earth...and you know what the penalty for making things is around here!”

  
  


“I an’t done nothing wrong!” The wiggly exclaimed, “It an’t my fault the soil comes out cleaner than it goes in, is it?!”

  
  


“If you truly believed in our cause, you’d immediately destroy anything you made!” The skeleton remarked, “but you didn’t-and now you must be punished!!”

  
  


The skeleton raised his sword high in the air ready to strike the poor wiggly down, as Stigmata quickly came out of hiding and waved her hand in the air; as though she was saying hello to the monsters. A Gremlin turned towards the violet haired builder and let out a sound of surprise as the other monsters stopped what they were doing and looked at her. Malroth rolled his eyes and stood beside the apprentice builder, one hand already on his Oaken Club in case a fight broke out.

  
  


“What do you think you’re looking at, humanth?” The Gremlin asked in surprise, “Can’t you thee we’re hard at work purging dthidenth here?”

  
  


“The fuck is a... _ dthidenth _ ?” Malroth mocked.

  
  


Stigmata nudged Malroth hard as the Gremlin spoke again; “Well don’t just thtand there! Help uth! Unleth you oppothe the Children of Hargon, in which cathe...we’d be more than happy to purge you too!!”

  
  


“Oh, criminy!” The wiggly exclaimed “You ‘ave to ‘elp me, ‘umans! Please!!”

  
  


Malroth and Stigmata exchanged a look with one another then shrugged as the monsters all sweatdropped at their actions. They already knew they would have to help the wiggly out of this situation if they wanted that clean soil for Furrowfield farm, but there was no doubt that fighting all these Children of Hargon supporters would be difficult for Stigmata since all she had was a silly old stick (which was on the verge of breaking she feared).

  
  


“Looks like we’ve got to pick a side, Stigmata,” Malroth said taking out his club “what do you think? Should we side with the monsters or the...monster?”

  
  


All the monsters, excluding the wiggly, exclaimed in shock and anger as the skeleton pointed his sword at Malroth.

“The fact that you even have to think about it is proof enough that you haven’t a faithful bone in your body! The Children of Hargon do not tolerate such fair-weather followers!!”

  
  


The monsters charged at the duo and Malroth smirked happily before racing forward and attacking the first monster he made contact with. Stigmata shook her head and followed shortly after as she swatted the Gremlin hard with her Cypress, sending the creature flying into one of the badboons that stood nearby. Malroth made short work of the skeleton that had previously been threatening the wiggly before turning his attention to the badboons. The closest one charged at Malroth and the destructive boy merely responded by slamming his Oaken Club into the monster’s face then jumping on its back and beating it repeatedly until the thing fell to the ground.

  
  


The other badboon, enraged by Malroth’s actions, decided to take its anger out on the apprentice builder and slammed its weight into her completely. Stigmata groaned loudly in pain and was flung back before slamming into the wall of the underground burrow and slumping to the floor in pain; she certainly had underestimated just how strong these badboons could be. When she had fought off the badboons with Malroth before, it seemed like a piece of cake; now actually getting slammed by one hurt like hell.

  
  


“Stigmata!!” Malroth yelled in concern.

  
  


The remaining monsters laughed at Malroth’s yells as the destructive boy turned towards them all with a deadly glare.

  
  


“You’ll pay for that…”

  
  


Malroth continued to attack the last of the Children of Hargon supporters, while the violet haired builder remained on the ground. She was sure nothing was broken and she could move all of her limbs freely, but it hurt immensely to do so, so she remained on the ground and let Malroth handle the fighting for now. It didn’t take long at all, the destructive boy finished off the last enemy with a well-placed slam of his Oaken Club then within seconds he was kneeling on the ground beside the apprentice builder, a worried and anger look flaring in his dark red eyes.

“Stigmata, are you ok?!” 

  
  


He tried to pull the violet haired builder to her feet but she yelped loudly in pain from the sudden movement so he slowly released her back to the ground.

  
  


“That badboon really knew how to put up a fight” Stigmata giggled, not noticing the anger that increased more and more in her partner’s eyes “I didn’t think that he would--”

  
  


“I told you to leave all the fighting to me!!!”

  
  


Stigmata stopped what she was going to say and stared at Malroth to see that he was glaring at  _ her _ , and not the ground this time. She blinked slowly and watched as Malroth scoffed angrily and put his club away quickly before he did something with it he might regret. It irritated him how she was taking this so casually; nothing was broken (thank the Goddess) but his dear friend had gotten hurt and he was helpless to keep it from happening. Then for her to brush it off so casually as nothing…

  
  


“I told you when we became partners, didn’t I?!” He snapped, “I said, leave all the fighting to me and YOU do the building!”

  
  


“You don’t seriously think I’d let you fight alone…” Stigmata questioned.

  
  


“Of course I do!!” He retaliated “I--!”

  
  


Stigmata grabbed Malroth by his jacket and pulled the destructive boy closer before hugging him gently, shutting him up instantly. Malroth’s eyes went wide in confusion before returning to their normal size, not at all sure what the apprentice builder was doing to him; it was warm though. It felt...nice, having her wrap her arms around him like this. The destructive boy slowly wrapped his arms around her as well and was even more content when he realized the warmness increased. This was even better than a high five, he had to admit.

“We’re partners, Malroth,” the apprentice builder said softly, pulling out of the hug much to the boy’s disappointment “there’s no way I’d ever let you fight alone. We’re in this together, through and through. Ok?”

  
  


She held up her hand, a soft smile gracing her face, as the destructive boy sighed in defeat than slapped his hand against hers. He had to admit his earlier anger had disappeared already once the apprentice builder started talking, it was very difficult to stay mad at her for too long. Stigmata slowly forced herself to stand and leaned against Malroth for support as he helped her walk over to the wiggly who watched the duo happily.

  
  


“Geddon!!” The monster exclaimed once they were close enough “‘Ee certainly made short work of them ‘orrid beasts what was ‘arassin’ me! Thankee kindly!!” 

  
  


“Don’t mention it!” Stigmata beamed as Malroth tried to make sense of what the beast just said.

  
  


“But ‘oo are ‘ee anyway?” The wiggly questioned “and what’re ‘ee doin’ all the way out ‘ere?”

  
  


“My name is Stigmata!” She introduced “and this is my best friend, Malroth! I’m an apprentice builder from Cantlin and I’m here on Furrowfield to help out all the farmers and restore this place to its former glory!”

  
  


“A builder, ‘ee say?” The wiggly remarked, “and you’re rebuilding the old farm--Deitree and all? And you’re looking for someone w’o can conjure up earth out of nothing?! I sensed that big old tree was back, so I did! I bin wrigglin’ all over the place lookin’ for it, only to ‘ave me life saved by the very maid as planted it?! Must be fate…”

  
  


“You’re the one who can clean up our soil?” Stigmata asked hopefully.

  
  


“T’at is right!” the wiggly exclaimed, “we’re an ancient tribe with the power to purify earth...or at least we were, I’m the only one left now.”

  
  


“This gross, slimy thing is going to clean up our soil?!” Malroth laughed “I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when we get back with a giant worm in tow!”

  
  


“He is bigger than I expected,” Stigmata said, looking the wiggly up and down “but nonetheless! He’ll be a big help to our soil problem!! What’s your name, wiggly?”

  
  


“Name’s Wrigley,” the giant worm said, “if we could get back to your farm before any more of them Children of ‘Argon turn up, that’d be luvverly.”

  
  


Stigmata nodded then turned towards Malroth; “I still feel a bit banged up from that tackle so I hope you don’t mind if I depend on you more than usual for our trip back!”

  
  


“What kind of question is that?!” Malroth said, rolling his eyes and taking out his Club “I said I would protect you, Stig. Now let’s get going!”

  
  


Stigmata nodded happily and the duo left the burrow with Wrigley following them from underground.

  
  


**…**

“Blimmin’ ‘eck!! It’s a monster!!”

  
  


The people of Furrowfield all screamed in terror and quickly ducked for cover when they saw Wrigley appear in the center of the town beside the Deitree. Stigmata sweatdropped and watched as Malroth laughed at Perry and tried to further frighten the boy by threateningly to let Wrigley eat him.

  
  


“Dribbling drackles-you’re right!” Bonanzo exclaimed as if he just now noticed the giant worm “We are under attack from a vicious wiggly! Well, don’t just stand there, Malroth--beat it to within an inch of its life!!”

  
  


“Huh? Why me, do it yourself old man!!”

  
  


“That will not be necessary,” Pastor Al said, stepping forward to stop all the commotion “Unless I am mistaken, this wiggly is a descendant of the tribe that kept the soil of Furrowfield clean and healthy for generations. Hear me, wiggly! From this day forth, you are to aid us in building new fields! Fail to do so, and we will have no further need to keep you alive…”

  
  


“You don’t have to threaten him, Pastor” Stigmata giggled “he already promised to help us out, right Wrigley?”

  
  


“Right…” Wrigley said cautiously, slowly inching away from Pastor Al.

  
  


“This is a dream come true!!” Rosie exclaimed in glee, practically jumping for joy “we’ll have loads more clean soil to work with now! Thanks so much for telling us about the wiggly, Britney!!”

  
  


“Nah” Britney scoffed “I was just passing on some rumor I heard, it was Stigmata who did all the legwork, you know?”

  
  


Stigmata’s face warmed in happiness and her usual dopey smile stretched widely across her face as Malroth crossed his arms and huffed. The apprentice builder seemed so happy with any compliment she received from the people here on Furrowfield but Malroth couldn’t help but feel like they didn’t extend enough credit towards her. After everything she had done here, they still seemed ungrateful and it ticked him off. Rosie showed Wrigley over to where the fields were and Stigmata followed excitedly, wanting to see how he would convert the spoiled soil.

  
  


In a matter of seconds, Wrigley easily went underground and began eating all of the spoiled soil around the crops before carefully throwing it back up (which was rather disgusting to watch) but as soon as he did the soil that came out was fresh and clean.

  
  


“I-I can’t believe it!” Rosie said, nearly tripped backward on her own feet out of shock “Look at all this healthy earth!!”

  
  


Tears clouded the cyan-haired farmer’s eyes and she began crying as Perry, Bonanzo, and Malroth ran over to see what all the fuss was about. 

  
  


“Thank you, Wrigley! I’m so  **SO** happy!! I’ve never seen so much lovely, soft soil in my life!” Rosie choked out between sobs.

  
  


“Ever since the spoilspores appeared, I thought our island was doomed…” Bonanzo confessed, tears streaming from his eyes “Even when we DID find clean soil, anything we planted in it just withered and died!”

  
  


Perry began sobbing just as hard as Rosie was and managed to croak out a sentence of his own; “We’ve spent so long scrapin’ together a few small patches of arable earth, and now we’ve got more than we know what to do with! I’m as ‘appy right now as I’ve ever bin!!”

  
  


“What the hell is wrong with you guys…?” Malroth asked in slight disgust, looking around at all the crying farmers “you’re crying over dirt...literal fucking dirt.”

  
  


“Don’t be mean, Mal!” The apprentice builder scolded, gently hitting her friend’s shoulder “they’re just happy! They love farming after all so to see this much fresh soil is like a dream come true to them!”

  
  


“I still don’t get how you cry over dirt though…”

  
  


Stigmata rolled her eyes then walked off to survey the farm the rest of the farmland they had. Now that Wrigley was on board, all of this spoiled soil could be converted into fresh dirt which was perfect for the numerous crops they were sure to find. The apprentice builder just had to figure out some way to manage the space between the crops and the buildings so things didn’t get too crowded around here.

  
  


The sound of the freshly produced dirt being tilled snapped Stigmata from her senses and she smiles brightly before going over to the anvil and pulling out her notebook. She carefully set the book on the anvil and flipped to the page where she had scribbled down the blueprint for the stone sword. Once she found it, the apprentice builder pulled some stone from her bag and set it on the anvil before taking out her hammer and starting to beat it into shape according to the blueprint; watching Malroth fight had inspired her more than she thought it would when it came to building things, weapons mostly. Maybe it was the way he fought or maybe it was the way he swung his weapon, she wasn’t all too sure what the reason was but she hoped one day she could let Malroth know that she was glad to be his partner.

  
  


“Hey Stigmata,” Britney said, strutting over curiously “what are you making? It looks totally rad!”

  
  


Stigmata held up the finished stone sword proudly before giving it to Britney; “stone swords! I figured you and I would fight loads better if we had swords instead of these silly old Cypress Sticks, besides, mine is on its last legs anyway…”

  
  


Britney’s eyes began shining in joy and she gave the sword a few practice swings before squealing in glee and admiring the weapon more.

  
  


“Hehe~! Thanks, Stigmata!” She exclaimed, “this sword is sick!”

  
  


“It’s sick…?” the apprentice builder questioned worriedly “I didn’t know swords could get sick, I’ll make you another one!”

  
  


“No” Britney sweatdropped “this one is fine. Any time you invent a new weapon you should totally whack some up and give them to anyone who can swing them! Back in the day, I would have been hyped for all the things I could smash with this sword, but I don’t really believe in the Children and their  _ ‘Master of Destruction’ _ anymore!” 

  
  


“The Master of Destruction?” Malroth questioned, going over to the two girls “Whos that supposed to be? Does he have a name?”

  
  


“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a guy like that before” Stigmata added “Hargon I’ve heard of, obviously, but none of you mentioned this Master of Destruction. What’s his name?”

  
  


“How am I supposed to know?” Britney replied “High-key, I bet the only person who knows his name is almighty Hargon himself! Pfft...listen to me  _ ‘Almighty Hargon’ _ I’m so done with him! Let’s start the Children of Stigmata instead-- a brilliant band of building buds!!”

  
  


Stigmata’s face warmed from the praise and she hummed softly before rubbing at her cheeks as Britney and Malroth both laughed at the apprentice builder’s embarrassment. The two raised their fist in the air and began chanting her name eagerly to further enhance the girl’s embarrassment and she had to admit...it was working. Thankfully, Rosie came over, saving Stigmata from her embarrassment, as a wide smile graced her face.

  
  


“Now we can make as many fields as we want, Stigmata!” She began cheerfully “but I’ve been thinking and that won’t help us if we don’t have the seeds to plant in them. You can’t call this place a farm without crops!”

  
  


“I agree with you on that, Rosie” Stigmata said “we have wheat and cabbages so far but we’re gonna need a lot more types of crops too if we want to restore Furrowfield to its former glory. Where should we start?”

  
  


“Well,” Rosie said, “Britney told me about the ruins of an old farm somewhere to the north-west, on the other side of the mountains. Sounds like just the place to find more seeds, right? I’ll mark it on your map for you and you can head there and see what you find!”

  
  


“Ok! Malroth and I will head there right n--!”

  
  


“Tomorrow.”

  
  


The two girls looked and watched as Malroth went over to them, a disapproving frown on his face and his red eyes narrowed in slight annoyance.

  
  


“We’re going tomorrow.” He repeated, “you can leave now, Rosie.”

  
  


The cyan-haired farmer nodded, sensing Malroth’s sudden irritation, and quickly walked off before she could get caught up in the middle of some sort of argument. The apprentice builder turned towards her partner in disbelief and placed her hands on her hips; it was still rather bright outside so if they made haste she was sure they’d have plenty of time to examine these farm ruins. If there was one thing she hated it was wasting precious time.

  
  


“What gives, Mal?” She pouted “we have plenty of time to go check out those ruins, why would we wait until tomorrow?”

  
  


“Because  **YOU** seem to have forgotten but earlier you got tackled hard by one of those badboons!” Malroth explained “you don’t need to be doing any more exploring until you rest up a bit. You can try and fool everyone else and say you’re fine but I know better! We leave tomorrow.”

  
  


With that, the destructive boy walked off and went into one of the huts as Stigmata watched him. She had to admit, even though he was rather violent and rash with most of the decisions he made…

She was glad to have a friend like him.


	10. Chapter 9: Love Gratitude?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stigmata and Malroth recruit a new farmer to Furrowfield, and Malroth drops something strange for the first time!

The next day rolled around sooner than expected and much to Malroth’s annoyance, the apprentice builder pulled him from his slumber and headed off in the direction of the abandoned farm Rosie had mentioned. They went through multiple twists and turns of the mountain before finally coming to find the farm mentioned, and upon arrival, Stigmata saw a familiar boy with purple hair violently hacking at a wooden fence with his hoe.

  
  


“What is this fiendish farmyard still doing here?!” The boy huffed in agitation “don’t worry!! I’ll have the whole blasted thing torn apart in no time!!”

  
  


“Clayton…?” The apprentice builder said slowly, a bright smile etching across her face.

  
  


Clayton turned around and looked at Stigmata then smiled in shock and happiness. The two ran towards one another and embraced in a warm heartfelt hug as Malroth watched in confusion, one hand already inching towards his Oaken Club.

  
  


“You know this guy, Stigmata?!” He questioned.

  
  


The apprentice builder released Clayton slowly then looked at Malroth before nodding happily; “yeah! This is my cousin, Clayton!! He and his family moved to Furrowfield when I was about six so it’s been years since I last saw him!!”

  
  


“And good to see you it is, dear cousin!!” Clayton added before motioning to the field behind him “I was just making short work of this field, and now I have someone to help me!!”

  
  


“Yeah…” Stigmata began slowly with a shy grin “about that...you see I heard there was an old farm around here and I was hoping I could find some seeds to take back!”

  
  


Clayton’s face blanked suddenly and he looked the apprentice builder up and down, a frown appearing on his face. Just from the look alone, Stigmata knew she wasn’t going to get any help out of him in the way of seeds. The Children of Hargon have done a number on all of the people here in Furrowfield, they seem terrified or reluctant to oppose them in any way. Clayton grabbed his hoe once again and pointed it as Stigmata accusingly.

  
  


“Well, I expect this is the farm you’re looking for!” He said hysterically “Don’t worry!! I’ll have it completely obliterated soon, as for the seeds, I have some...but I won’t give them to you!!”

  
  


“What?!” Malroth growled, advancing towards the violet-haired farmer only for Stigmata to hold him back “she’s your damn cousin!! You’re not even going to help her out?!?” 

  
  


Clayton cowered slightly from Malroth’s harsh tone then gulped nervously and said “T-There’s no nobler goal in life than wrecking ruin, you know?! To defy the Children of Hargon is certain death and if my dear cousin had any sense in that brain of hers she would stop this pointless search for seeds!! It will only end in failure!”

  
  


“Have the Children of Hargon really scared you this much, Clayton?” Stigmata asked sadly.

“Scared me?!” He exclaimed “Heavens no!! They have inspired me for the better! It is a good thing this place doesn’t have one of those accursed scarecrows in it!! Those infernal poppets have some sort of power over me--just once glance and I can’t resist tilling the soil around it!! Confound my farmer’s blood!!!”

  
  


Malroth and Stigmata exchanged a look with one another then nodded in agreement, the same idea formulating in their heads. While the last thing she wanted to do was scare her dear cousin, she also needed those seeds more than anything. If he wasn’t going to give them up willingly, then she had to be the one to give him a little push. The apprentice builder reached her hand into the bag Rosie gave her and pulled out a spare scarecrow as Clayton looked her up and down cautiously, his eyes narrowing.

  
  


“Dear cousin…” he began, watching her go to the middle of the field “what’s that…?”

  
  


“Oh, I think you know what it is, Clayton!” She snapped, puffing out her chest in an attempt to act tough “I need those seeds...one way or another!”

  
  


“You wouldn’t dare!” Clayton yelled in fear, starting to shake.

  
  


“Hand over the seeds!!”

  
  


“I won’t!”

  
  


Stigmata raised an eyebrow then planted the scarecrow down firmly in the middle of the field. Clayton’s eyes widened in disbelief and he slowly picked up his hoe once more, as if he was no longer in control of his actions.

  
  


“WHA--?! WHAT’S HAPPENING TO ME?!”

  
  


In a flash, Malroth and Stigmata watched as Clayton zipped around the field, tilling every piece of clean soil he could find with such efficiency and speed it was astonishing. Malroth laughed loudly in amusement and clutched his aching sides, pointing at Clayton and making fun of the farmer as Stigmata simply watched in awe. She was proud of the speediness in which her cousin could till a field. He would be a wonderful addition to Furrowfield farm no doubt.

  
  


After a few minutes, the violet-haired farmer puffed and panted in exhaustion before going back over to the duo and dropping his hoe.

  
  


“It’s just as I feared…” he panted out “one glance at a scarecrow...and I can’t stop myself...from tilling the earth around it…!”

  
  


“Will you give up the seeds now?!” Stigmata smiled brightly, crossing her arms happily to try and seem tough once more.

  
  


“I would listen to her if I were you” Malroth laughed “that smile of hers is deadly~”

  
  


“So deadly~!”

  
  


Clayton’s eyes widened and he quickly looked away before clasping his hands together tightly and beginning to pray; “O Master of Destruction, hear my prayer! I have sullied my hands with the stain of creation, and my dear cousin has been tainted with false hope!! I beg your forgiveness!! It is only by your destructive grace that the field was not enclosed with wooden fencing as well!”

  
  


Malroth and Stigmata exchanged another glance and the apprentice builder slipped on her gloves before going over to a spare encasing of wooden fencing and picking it up. Clayton halted his prayer and watched in fear as she began to repair the wooden fencing around the field.

  
  


“STIGMATA!!” He screamed, “STOP THIS HERESY!!”

  
  


“GIVE ME THE SEEDS!!”   
  


“NO!! STOP THIS!!”

  
  


She repaired the wooden fencing completely and Clayton let out another scream of despair before running to and fro in the field again, tilling away at the fresh soil. At this point, Malroth had completely fallen to the ground from his excessive laughter and he found it hard to catch a breath in between laughs as he choked for air, causing the violet-haired builder to quickly rush to his aid.

  
  


After a few moments of helping Malroth remember how to breathe and trying to calm Clayton’s hysterical screaming, the three of them laid on the muddy ground together, staring up at the sky silently. Stigmata wedged her notebook out from its holder and jotted down the recipe for wooden fencing and a wooden gate before carefully putting the book away, a dopey smile gracing her face.

  
  


“Here…” Clayton said weakly, throwing a pouch of seeds onto the apprentice builder’s chest “take them, you devil…”

  
  


“Thank you, dear cousin, ~”

  
  


“This guy’s hilarious!” Malroth chuckled, his fangs showing slightly “let’s take him back to the farm and turn him into a builder!”

  
  


“A builder?!” Clayton exclaimed, “only a fool would do that!!”

  
  


Malroth took out his Oaken Club and set it on his lap, causing Clayton to glance at it cautiously.

  
  


“Look,” the destructive boy threatened “we can do this the easy way, or the fun way. You’re going to help Stigmata out whether you like it or not!”

  
  


“D-Dear cousin,” Clayton said, inching away from Malroth “where on Earth did you find this guy?!”

  
  


“Malroth?” Stigmata asked, a soft smile appearing on her face “oh we met on an island, isn’t he the best?!”

  
  


Clayton watched a small Dracky fly over and try to attack the trio, only for Malroth to grab the thing by its tail and stand up before swatting it like a baseball, watching it sail over the mountain and out of sight.

  
  


“Yes...the best…”

  
  


**…**

  
  


“Unbelievable!” Clayton exclaimed, looking around Furrowfield farm in awe “Look at this farm--these buildings, those fields...this tree!! Surely such sinners are beyond redemption!”

  
  


Pastor Al came over to see what all the fuss was about and Clayton nearly cried for joy upon seeing the Shaman.

  
  


“R-Reverend! This woman is a builder, my dear cousin!! Redeem her of her sins and do away with this accursed farm at once!” Clayton demanded.

  
  


“He ain’t  _ doing away _ with shit” Malroth muttered only to receive a hard nudge from the apprentice builder.

  
  


“Clayton,” Pastor Al said calmly “you could not have arrived at a better time, my disciple. You must work the fields here and till the soil as well as water the crops with neither rest nor respite.”

  
  


Clayton’s eyes widened in shock and he sulked sadly beside the Deitree as everyone came over to greet the violet-haired farmer, eager to meet one of Stigmata’s family members. Rosie went over to the apprentice builder and smiled brightly before pulling the girl into a warm hug, her usual greeting when she returned from a mission.

  
  


“Good job finding those seeds, Stigmata!” Rosie praised “and you found Clayton too, it’s no surprise he’s your cousin! You’re amazing at building things and he’s amazing at farming; your whole family is amazing, isn’t it?! Besides that, I’ve been thinking while you were gone and we’ve been doing exactly as the pastor says. We’ve got nice, big fields and the Deitree’s bigger but...I can’t help but feel like there’s more to it, you know?”

  
  


“I know what you mean, Rosie” Stigmata agreed “the Deitree may be growing but there’s still a lot we need to do before we can consider Furrowfield to be back to its former glory. But don’t you worry! I promised to help you every step of the way and that’s exactly what I’m going to do!”

  
  


“As determined as always, my girl!!” Bonanzo said haughtily, going over to the two girls with a smile “I see improvements in my village are proceeding apace, and your skills as a builder are improving likewise!! Wonderful work!”   
  


“ _ Your _ village…?” Rosie muttered.

  
  


“Thank you, Bonanzo” Stigmata blushed happily, glad her skills were beginning to get more appreciated by everyone.

  
  


Malroth, however, crossed his arms and looked at the older man up and down in annoyance. He could tell just from the way he bounded up to the apprentice builder that he needed a favor, and it irked him to the core. Stigmata was always happy to provide everyone with what they needed, but he wished she would take some time for herself sometimes instead of him having to remind her constantly to take a break.

  
  


“Well onto my point,” Bonanzo said sheepishly, confirming Malroth’s suspicions “as builder-in-chief, it falls to you, young lady, to inspire us by ringing that bell once more!”

  
  


“Ring the bell again?” Stigmata hummed “I can do that! I’ll need to pick up some more gratitude energy from everyone first, but I’ll make sure it gets done!!”

  
  


Bonanzo thanked the violet-haired builder once more and as soon as he walked off, Clayton took his place, whining loudly in anguish and practically sobbing in front of her. Rosie sweatdropped and watched the pitiful display as Malroth rolled his eyes.

  
  


“You drag me here against my will, force me to toil the fields, and then build things of such sin?!” He exclaimed, “can’t you see this is living hell for me, dear cousin?!”

  
  


“I guess I can see that…” Stigmata answered with a giggle “but to me, it looked like you were having fun tilling the fields with Perry!”

  
  


“I was watching that too!” Rosie stated “you’re amazing at that, Clayton! I’d better go and pitch in my part too!”

  
  


Clayton watched in horror as Rosie picked up a hoe from the ground then ran over to the fields with Perry, helping him tend to the cabbages and wheat as happiness and thankfulness gratitude popped off of them left and right. The violet-haired farmer quickly turned his attention back to his cousin and crossed his arms.

  
  


“What do you mean I looked like I was having fun?!” He snapped “Speak for yourself you...you sinful builder!! AS A MATTER OF FACT! Since you just  **LOVE** building so much, why don’t you go ahead and build us a barn?! You say this is a farm, yet you don’t even have a barn to keep supplies in?! Shame, dear cousin, shame!!”

  
  


Stigmata gasped in shock and nodded furiously; “you’re right, Clayton! I’ll work on that right now!!”

  
  


Malroth sweatdropped and watched as Clayton began telling the apprentice builder what to put into the barn and the size he wanted it. For someone that was a supposed devout follower of the Children of Hargon, he sure did ask for a lot. Clayton stormed off after barking his orders and before Stigmata could even take a step, Perry and Wrigley went over as well.

  
  


“Stigmata!” Perry smiled “can I borrow ya, for a minute ‘ere?”

  
  


“Of course!”

  
  


“I need your ‘elp ov’r ‘ere too!!” Wrigley exclaimed happily.

  
  


“I’ll be there in a jiffy!”

  
  


Malroth watched silently as Stigmata listened to both Wrigley and Perry’s request before getting to work on all the tasks she had been set. She first made Clayton’s barn and he watched her plop down block after block of softwood before sprinting to the crafting table and making a door. She placed the door firmly in place then went to the crafting table once more and began making numerous items: a chest, some farming tools, a haystack, torches, etc.

  
  


One she was done, she set all of the items inside the barn neatly and the base of it began glowing a soft green, signifying the barn was completed. The apprentice builder then went over to the cabbage field and began harvesting as many as possible before placing them inside the chest she had stowed in the barn. As she did that, everyone on the farm began dropping gratitude points so she swooped them up quickly then took out two strange green balls that smelt of mildew and wheat.

  
  


“What the hell is that?” Malroth questioned.

“Worm food!” Stigmata replied excitedly “Wrigley gave them to me, he said with these I just set them down wherever I want and he’ll pop up there and replace the surrounding area with green grass! Isn’t that cool?!”

  
  


“I guess” the destructive boy shrugged “but where are you going to put it? You still need to leave room for any other things you want to build, you don’t want to build on top of the pretty grass.”

  
  


She hummed in deep thought and looked around the farm slowly, debating on where to put the worm food at. After some thought, she decided to place the worm food in front of the huts where they all slept as Wrigley got to work converting it to fresh greenery, causing everyone to run over, dropping thankfulness and happiness gratitude which the apprentice builder quickly swooped up.

  
  


“Not bad, Wrigley!” Malroth said with a happy smirk “we came here to work out how to make the Isle of Awakening a little greener, and it looks like we’ve found our answer!!”

  
  


“Isle of Awakening…” Stigmata questioned, giving her partner a confused look.

  
  


Malroth’s ears turned a light pink in embarrassment and he scoffed before rubbing his neck slightly.

  
  


“Well I was tired of just calling it the island...you know?” He replied quietly “The Isle of Awakening sounded cool because...well...it’s the place where we fucking woke up, isn’t it?!”

  
  


Stigmata hummed softly then nodded in agreement. The Isle of Awakening was a far better name then the Empire of  Evisceration or Lulutopia, but the apprentice builder didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings so she let them call it whatever they wanted. The violet-haired builder’s hammer began glowing a soft golden color again and she smiled before pulling it out and marching over to the Builder’s Bell, the residents of Furrowfield hot on her heels.

  
  


“Yes!!” Rosie cheered “ring the bell and inspire us, Stigmata!!”

  
  


“Give it a good ol’ wallop!” Perry agreed.

  
  


“Will do~!”

  
  


Taking a small step back to prepare herself, the builder raised her hammer as high as it would go then slammed it hard against the bell. Just as it had done last time, a pink and green glow spread throughout the town of Furrowfield and everyone cheered loudly in delight as Stigmata hastily scribbled down the new recipes that came to mind. To make the matter better, the ringing of the bell brought in older resident farmers of Furrowfield who agreed to stay and help with the crops, allowing them to till and plant seeds even faster than before.

  
  


“You know…” Malroth said slowly as he approached the apprentice builder “you inspire everyone you come across, Stig.”

  
  


Stigmata smiled softly; “that’s what a good builder should do, Mal! Being able to inspire everyone and help out the residents of Furrowfield is like a dream come true! I may not be the Legendary Builder...but at the rate I’m going now, it’s only a matter of time before I better myself!”

  
  


Malroth stared at the violet-haired builder before him and felt an inexplicable warm feeling within his chest, for her to say such things about her dreams always interest him for some reason. Just seeing that dopey grin that etched across her face and watching her two pigtails swing around as she built, it made him...happy. A sudden flash of red appeared in front of the duo and Stigmata looked in surprise to see a ball of love gratitude spring from Malroth and land on the ground in front of her.

  
  


“What the hell?!” He exclaimed, taking out his Oaken Club “What is that thing?!”

  
  


The apprentice builder knelt down and picked up the glowing red heart and held it in her hands gently, feeling the hum of energy it emitted and enjoying the warm sensation it gave her. Unlike everyone else’s energy, when she held Malroth’s, his didn’t absorb into her body. Instead, it stayed in her hands like a true physical object, so she wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it.

  
  


“You dropped gratitude, Mal” she explained softly, looking up at the male before her “love gratitude…”

  
  


“Well,” he replied, his cheeks flushing a very faint pink “it looks useless! Just toss it or something if you can’t absorb it!”

  
  


With that, the destructive boy stormed off and started killing slimes that milled around to get his mind off of what just happened. Stigmata stared at the love gratitude in her hands for a long time then gently placed it in her bag. While it did seem useless for the time being, she couldn’t bring herself to throw out something Malroth had dropped; so she’d find some purpose for it back at the Isle of Awakening.

  
  


_ ‘Did he drop that because of me…?’ _

  
  


The thought alone caused a stirring sensation in her stomach and her face felt warm. It wasn’t the first time he had dropped gratitude. Just like the others, Malroth would only rarely drop happiness gratitude and she would pick it up and absorb it just as she did with the others; however this time around she couldn’t absorb this one, and this  **WAS** the first time he has dropped love gratitude.

  
  


“Hey, Stigmata!! Can you come help me with this?!”

  
  


The apprentice builder snapped out of her thoughts and yelled a quick response before running over to see who needed help. She could worry about this later, this farm isn’t going to build itself!


	11. Chapter 10: Seed Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stigmata meets her "cousin" on Furrowfield, but can't remember him?! Malroth and Stigmata begin their next set of task to revive the Deitree!

“So you mean to tell me!” Malroth grunted, killing another Mollusk “that he’s your cousin! But you can’t remember a single memory with the guy?!”

  
  


“Well, yeah” Stigmata replied, dodging the monster’s tongue attack and using her stone sword to quickly stab it “as I said, it’s been years since I last saw him. But I’m sure we’re cousins because we look so much alike!!”

  
  


Malroth went over to Stigmata after they had defeated the monsters and placed a hand on his hip, giving the apprentice builder a confused and slightly agitated look. She was almost positive Clayton was her cousin, earlier, Rosie had asked the two to tell her some fond memories they had together, and surprisingly neither Stigmata nor Clayton could think of anything that tied the two together. However the apprentice builder just had a feeling in the back of her mind that he was her cousin, so she went with it and he seemed to agree. If they thought they were cousins, then that surely had to mean they were; that thought couldn’t have just sprung up out of anywhere.

  
  


“I just think something’s fishy about it” Malroth sighed “sure, you two look alike, and you claim you’re cousins. But neither of you have any memories of each other and you didn’t even know Furrowfield existed until recently! Lulu is the one who mentioned it to us!”

  
  


“You have a point Mal, but why would I lie about Clayton being my cousin?!” Stigmata retaliated “it doesn’t make sense! It’s like my brain is all funny…”

  
  


The duo thought this over for a while and Malroth shook his head violently before dismissing the thought completely.

  
  


“Well!” He exclaimed “after defeating all those monsters, I feel even stronger than before! You don’t seem quite so pumped though, Stig...I’m starting to get a bit worried about you. That settles it, I’ll just have to think of a trick a weakling like you can use!”

  
  


“Hey!” The apprentice builder pouted “I’m not weak! I can hold my own in a fight just as well as you can, if not better!”

  
  


“Yeah right!” Malroth exclaimed, going over to her and standing behind her “let’s try this! Start by charging up your power into your sword arm!”

  
  


Malroth grabbed Stigmata’s arm that was holding the sword and helped the girl get into position, correcting her foot stance all the while. She listened closely and drew her sword back as instructed, putting one foot in front of the other in the stance in which he showed her.

  
  


“Yeah that’s it,” Malroth said once her stance was perfect “now let it all out in one giant swing! Really go for it!!”

  
  


Stigmata nodded in understanding then swung around as hard as possible, swinging her sword with her as it sliced through the air in one quick and easy motion.

  
  


“Yeah, you did it! Not bad Stig, not bad at all!” He praised as the apprentice builder smiled brightly “remember to always get into the proper stance to build-up power, then once it’s all charged up let it go and unleash hell on whoever tries to stop you!”

A loud scream suddenly pierced the air and the duo exchanged a glance with one another before nodding and running back to the farm to see what the problem was. Upon arrival, Stigmata saw everyone crowded around the Deitree and Rosie was cheering in delight; the Deitree, Stigmata noticed, had grown a lot taller and had even more leaves than before on it as the same green and blue glow circled it, letting off a strong feeling of magic throughout the entire farm.

  
  


“Hey!” Malroth yelled, snapping everyone’s attention towards him “who the hell screamed?!”

  
  


“Rosie did, fam!” Britney said happily, “but we’re not in danger, chill out! She just got excited because of the Deitree, it’s like totally lit!!”

  
  


Malroth growled quietly and put his Oaken Club away as Rosie ran over to the apprentice builder and grabbed her hands firmly in her own; a bright smile gracing her face.

“The Deitree is looking stronger than ever Stigmata!!” She exclaimed, “and not only that, but we’ve completed all of the Pastor's task! So that means we’re on the next step to saving Furrowfield already!!”

  
  


“You have rebuilt Furrowfield’s fields and produced a bountiful harvest.” Pastor Al confirmed, going over to the two girls “The earth itself has been imbued with the power of growth. It is this that has given strength to the Deitree. In turn, the great tree will extend Her blessings to your farm, protecting the fruits of your labor with Her holy power.”

  
  


“So the tree powers Furrowfield as we power the tree!” Rosie beamed “that’s amazing!”

  
  


Everyone cheered and began celebrating as Pastor Al scoffed and raised his staff, the end of it glowing a deadly red.

  
  


“But you have outlived your usefulness as of now!!”

  
  


Everyone gasped.

  
  


“I jest…”

  
  


Stigmata sweatdropped and Malroth reluctantly put his Oaken Club away once more as Pastor Al spoke; “Our work is not done yet. After all, there is still more we must do to see the Deitree attain Her true form. For now, let us allow a day for rest and relaxation, the next plans will be for tomorrow’s worries.”

  
  


Everyone nodded and walked off to go relax as Stigmata stared up at the Deitree in deep thought. She still found it hard to believe that she went from a measly apprentice builder in Cantlin, to a sign of hope here in Furrowfield; not to mention she has already made many amazing friends along the way. The apprentice builder reached into her bag and pulled out some wood and stone before running over to the anvil, a recipe from earlier forming in her mind. The recipe had originally come to mind when Malroth was showing her that fighting technique earlier, so she figured he would appreciate this gift. Within a few moments of hammering and crafting, the weapon was complete and she looked around for the destructive boy eagerly before presenting the stone ax to him.

  
  


“Here you go, Mal~!”

  
  


Malroth looked over at Stigmata and raised an eyebrow before grabbing the ax from her and twirling it in his hands, getting a feel for the new weapon. He seemed to like it because his face broke into a wide smirk and he looked up at the apprentice builder happily.

  
  


“You made this just for me, Stig?!” He asked, patting her head “thank you, dork! I’ll still hold onto the one you first gave me though, it has sentimental value to it!! But you’re supposed to be relaxing, you know? Pastor Al said so himself.”

  
  


“I know~! But I just really thought you might want a new weapon so you can fight even better, and it’s my little special way of saying thank you for continuing to stick by my side until now!”

  
  


Malroth’s eyes widened slightly in surprise then he smirked happily as he gazed at the apprentice builder; “Stig--”

  
  


The ground trembled heavily and the inhabitants of Furrowfield all yelped and looked around in shock as Malroth quickly took out his ax and sniffed the air.

  
  


“What’s going on?!” Stigmata asked, going over to the Deitree quickly as everyone else followed “is it an attack?!”

  
  


“I can smell when a fight’s brewing” Malroth responded, “and this place reeks of it!!”

  
  


“The Children of Hargon must feel the energy from the Deitree growing!” Rosie yelped as she cowered beside the tree “you have to stop them Stigmata, don’t let all of our hard work go to waste! Please!!”

  
  


“I’m, like, so ready to fight dude!” Britney chimed in “let’s wreck some Children of Hargon baddies together, Stigmata!”

  
  


“I-I’ll fight too!!” Clayton yelled, shaking heavily “I couldn’t let my dear cousin go out and fight a-alone!”

  
  


“She won’t be alone” Malroth smirked happily “she has me, you know?”

  
  


“And don’t you worry about the town getting damaged” Bonanzo added as he stepped forward “we can always repair the damage afterward. Just concentrate on teaching those rotters a lesson!!”

  
  


The clattering of bones and roaring of badboons filled the area and all those who were able to fight took out their weapons quickly.

  
  


“Alright!” Stigmata said, smiling brightly “let’s do this!!”

  
  


**…**

  
  


“Ah~that feels  _ amazing _ , Mal…”

  
  


“Yeah, yeah! Why do you have to make weird noises with it though?!”

  
  


Stigmata giggled happily and kept her eyes closed as Malroth continued to massage her shoulders, his ears a light pink from the strange noises she was making. After the fight yesterday, everyone was pretty banged up so Malroth offered to give the apprentice builder a massage first thing in the morning tomorrow, however, he wasn’t prepared for the strange noises she was making. And he had to shamefully admit, it made him feel a hundred times more embarrassed then he usually gets around the apprentice builder.

  
  


“I can’t remember the last time I had a massage!” The apprentice builder shamefully admitted as she took out her book and began to sketch the Deitree in it “I’m not much of a fighter you know! So all this fighting has got my body feeling sore!”

  
  


“That’s why I tell you to leave the fighting to me” the destructive boy reminded whilst glancing up at the Deitree “that said, this thing has come a long way already. It was nothing more than a weedy sapling; just goes to show how powerful your building skills are.”

  
  


“You’ve always believed in my building skills, Mal. Why is that?”

  
  


Malroth mulled this question over in his head for a while as he continued massaging the apprentice builder’s shoulders; “Don’t know...maybe there’s just something about you that I like, Stig. You’re a cool person, and you still have lots of room to grow.”

  
  


“That’s true” she replied “I’m only fifteen, and I still have a lot to learn before I can call myself a true builder. I’m still an apprentice after all…”

  
  


“You say that, but you’re a better builder than anyone else here,” he said “what gets me most worked up is everyone saying builders bring destruction and despair. Who made up that shit, huh?!”

  
  


“Everyone!” Pastor Al announced, making Malroth’s question fall on deaf ears “gather ‘round!”

  
  


The inhabitants of Furrowfield all gathered around and listened to Pastor Al as he explained the next steps in reviving the Deitree. They would have to grow and harvest five different types of plants for the Deitree to continue growing more; so far, the only crops they had here on the farm were wheat and cabbage so Stigmata knew she would have to venture out to find more. As the pastor was explaining to her that there was sugar cane nearby, the sky began to darken quite drastically and a pink hue overtook the usual welcoming blue.

  
  


“The sky!!” Rosie exclaimed, “look!”

  
  


Everyone looked up at the sky and mutters of fear and shock filled Furrowfield as the smell of rotten eggs flooded the apprentice builder’s senses. On top of that, to accompany the ominous pink sky and rotten smell, the wind began picking up more and more to the point where it felt so icy that everyone’s lungs had trouble taking in air.

  
  


“What is this?” Stigmata asked curiously, reaching out slightly and gripping Malroth’s vest to ensure the boy was still beside her.

  
  


“This is the dreaded III Wind” Pastor Al explained, covering himself from the harsh wind with his cloak “it has been some time since it last cursed these lands! This accursed storm is the source of those blasted spoilspores. It was by this wind that so much of the soil on the island was ruined!”

  
  


“Now just ‘ang on a minute!” Perry said hysterically “you mean to say this stupid storm’s going to muck up all our ‘ard work?!”

  
  


“B-But everything was going so well…” Rosie whimpered “we can’t give up...not now…”

  
  


Stigmata looked around the farm silently and noticed spoilspores beginning to pop up in various places around the farm. If they exploded, there was no doubt it would ruin all of the hard work that everyone had put into the farm thus far would be ruined by these horrible plants, she couldn’t allow that, not even for a second.

  
  


“Then we won’t!!”

  
  


Everyone looked in surprise as the apprentice builder slipped her gloves on then scooped up as much spoiled spoil as her arms could carry, her usual dopey and determined grin etched across her face. Malroth smirked happily and watched Stigmata run towards one of the spoilspores as Rosie yelped in fear and took a step forward, her eyes wide in shock.

  
  


“What are you doing, Stigmata?!”

  
  


“We’ve worked!” Stigmata grunted, plugging up the holes on the spoilspore with the soil “Too hard to let these nasty things ruin it!! You all have been going day in and day out to make sure Furrowfield becomes the best farm ever, and I’ll be darned if I let these spoilspores ruin that!!”

  
  


With a small huff, the violet-haired builder plugged the last hole on the spoilspore then watched anxiously. The vile plant began to swell drastically in size and writhe, trying to find some source of air, before imploding completely without damaging a single one of the crops it had appeared on top of. 

  
  


“N-No way…” Perry said, his jaw-dropping “she did it...she’s downright amazing…”

  
  


“I see!” Pastor Al exclaimed suddenly “the III Wind is what helps them! By plugging their holes, she’s stopping them from exploding and ruining their only means of appearance! Builder?! Keep at this, quickly before they explode!!”

  
  


“I got ya, Stig!” Malroth spoke up, scooping up spoiled soil in his arms.

  
  


Stigmata smiled brightly then turned away and scooped up more spoil before running to the next spoilspore. The duo began plugging up the deadly pink bulbs with such efficiency and speed that the inhabitants of Furrowfield had a hard time keeping up with their movements. Despite only knowing each other for a short while, they seemed to read each other’s minds and managed to evade and dodge one another easily despite how quickly they zipped across the farm. For the next half hour, the violet haired builder and the destructive boy destroyed every spoilspore that popped up on the farm with ease, not stopping to take a break or breaking a sweat in the process. 

“Look!” Rosie chimed out suddenly, pointing at the sky “the III Wind!”

  
  


Stigmata stopped running abruptly, tripping and falling on her butt in the process, and looked up to see the pink hue to the sky was disappearing and the beautiful clear blue returned; the smell of rotten eggs slowly drifted from her senses and the icy wind that was attacking her skin seemingly vanished in the blink of an eye.

  
  


“Mal?!?”

  
  


The destructive boy stopped abruptly as well, falling on his butt, and took out his ax upon hearing the girl’s scream; “What?!”

  
  


“We did it~!”

  
  


“Tch...why’d you have to yell it like that, dumbass?!”

  
  


“Grumbling Gremlins!” Bonanzo beamed happily, running over to Stigmata as everyone followed suit “you did it, my girl!! And not a single square of our precious soil was spoiled!!”

  
  


“You are amazing, Stigmata!” Perry said with a bright smile, helping the builder up and pulling her into a soft hug.

  
  


Stigmata returned the hug with a soft smile as Malroth slowly got up on his own and watched the two hug, a strange uncomfortable feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach. It was just a stupid hug after all, right?

  
  


“Very good job indeed, Stigmata” Pastor Al praised once the two stopped hugging “your skills as a builder are remarkable.”

  
  


Stigmata stared at Pastor Al and noticed he looked a bit upset; despite the mask he had on there was no denying from the tone of his voice that something was bothering the Shaman.

  
  


“Are you alright, Pastor? You can tell us when you’re upset you know, we’re all in this together!” She reassured.

  
  


Pastor Al hesitated for a moment then gave in with a heavy sigh; “we-the Children of Hargon-brought ruin to Furrowfield. We destroyed the Deitree, that life might never flourish here again. We forbade humans from building and commanded them to join us in reducing those buildings that were still standing to rubble…”

  
  


“Sounds like you guys are a bunch of jerks to me” Malroth commented, standing beside the apprentice builder “if that’s the case, then what makes you so eager to help us?!”

  
  


“Mal…” Stigmata began.

  
  


“No” Pastor Al reassured “he has all the right to be suspicious. The truth of the matter is when I saw that fragile sapling-the Deitree, reborn-and the force of life within it, I had a change of heart. I was forced to reconsider if the course of Destruction is truly the right one, and after much thought, I have finally decided!!”

  
  


Pastor Al bowed his head and lowered his staff as everyone exclaimed in shock whilst the apprentice builder watched in confusion. 

  
  


“Allow me to join and aid you on this journey to restore Furrowfield, Builder!”

  
  


Stigmata smiled softly and gently pat Pastor Al’s staff as he looked up into her light grey eyes which were full of happiness and gratitude.

  
  


“I appreciate you saying that Pastor Al” Stigmata said “but the way I see it, you’re already one of us! And we’re going to need all the help we can get so I’ll gladly accept anyone willing to pitch in their weight! Ain’t that right, Clayton?!”

  
  


“Why must you use  _ me _ as an example…?”

  
  


Everyone laughed and Pastor Al’s mask lifted faintly like he was smiling before it quickly went away.

  
  


“Alright, everyone!” Bonanzo exclaimed, raising a ho “back to work!”

  
  


The residents of Furrowfield all grabbed their farming tools and went back to work as Malroth and Rosie both went closer to Stigmata, smiles gracing both of their faces.

  
  


“Can you believe it?” Malroth said with a chuckle, “you’re so cool, you’ve even got a devout Pastor of the Children of Hargon helping you out, Stig. You just keep getting better and better!”

  
  


Stigmata’s smile widened and she rubbed her aching cheeks as her cheeks felt hot again like they usually do when Malroth compliments her; “yeah well, I’m not as cool as you are, Mal! You can fight SUPER well! I think you’re the amazing one here!”

  
  


“Ah,” Malroth chuckled “I can fight but I can’t build for shit...if anything though, with me by your side we make one hell of a team, don’t you think?!”

  
  


**Bark!**

  
  


“Hmm, I was expecting a different response but I guess that works.”

  
  


“That wasn’t me” Stigmata responded, raising an eyebrow “was that you?”

  
  


**Bark!!**

  
  


“There it is again!” Malroth growled, taking out his ax “Stig you fucking with me?!”

  
  


“What?! No!!”

  
  


“I’ll punch you!!”

  
  


**Bark!!!**

  
  


Malroth raised his fist and the violet haired builder squealed then quickly crouched to the ground only to come face to face with a small puppy. The puppy barked again, happy it was finally noticed, then jumped into the builder’s lap and began attacking her face with licks and small nibbles. Stigmata giggled happily and stood back up, holding the puppy gently, as Malroth looked at the creature curiously and tilted his head.

  
  


“Is that what was barking?” He asked, “what the hell is it...a monster?!”

  
  


“No” she replied hastily, noticing he had raised his ax “it’s a puppy, Malroth! They’re harmless, it’s a pet, like a personal little thing you keep with you!”

  
  


Malroth mulled these words over in his mind then his eyes narrowed and he leaned closer to Stigmata, ignoring the dog licking his chin; “am I a pet?”

  
  


“What the--no!!”

  
  


“You said a pet is a personal thing you keep with you!” Malroth repeated, “so that makes me a pet!”

  
  


“Malroth...no.”

  
  


“Hey!” Rosie said suddenly, causing the duo and the puppy to jump “that’s a Furrowfield retriever!”

  
  


“A Furrowfield...what now?!” Malroth asked, tilting his head to the side.

  
  


“A Furrowfield retriever” Rosie explained, “they have the best sense of smell around, with that you’ll be able to find more new seeds in a jiffy, Stigmata!”

  
  


The dog barked happily as if to confirm Rosie’s explanation then leapt out of Stigmata’s arms and ran off some distance away before turning around to see if the apprentice builder was following.

  
  


“I think it wants us to follow,” Malroth said before smirking happily “what do you say, Stigmata, ready to head out on another trip?!”

  
  


“Born ready!”

  
  


Stigmata and Malroth followed the retriever as Rosie waved them off happily. The puppy lead them through a few twists and turns of the forest before finally coming to the side of the mountain and going through a giant passage that seemed to lead right through the mountain. Malroth and Stigmata exchanged a glance with one another then nodded firmly before continuing to follow the puppy. She certainly hadn’t known this passage was here all along, but perhaps that was a good thing, she was positive they would find seeds in this new setting.

  
  


“This place is completely different to the rest of the island” Malroth noted, poking at some spiky green plants as Stigmata activated a nearby Naviglobe “it’s some kind of marsh.”

  
  
  


“It’s kind of cool though” Stigmata beamed “and we’re sure to find all kinds of new see-”

  
  


Before she could finish her sentence, the apprentice builder lost her footing and screamed before falling into a small hole as two girls blinked in surprise and looked at her in confusion. The puppy barked happily and jumped in the hole after Stigmata as Malroth quickly did the same and helped her up. 

  
  


“W-Who are you?!” One of the girls exclaimed, quivering in the corner.

  
  


Stigmata dusted herself off and looked to see the two girls were wearing red dresses with white undershirts. Both of them had light brown hair and black eyes and the one who had spoken was clearly older and shaking heavily as she stared at Stigmata, whereas the younger one had her hands on her hips and was watching her sister in disapproval.

  
  


“Well, this is great! We trudged all the way out here and we don’t even find any seeds!” Malroth complained “just a couple of scruffy-looking girls!”

  
  


“I beg your pardon!” The smaller girl exclaimed in anger “I think you’ll find we’re ladies, not  _ girls _ !! And a rather lovely lady at that!! Then to top it off you’ve got a purple-haired beauty trotting around with you and you don’t even have a shred of respect for women!!”

  
  


Malroth rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as the older girl gulped nervously and slowly looked at Stigmata; “t-the Children of Hargon threw us in here and told us to reflect on our sins! I-I was just so hungry...I...I…!”

  
  


“Oh suck it up, Saffron!” The little girl said again before looking at the duo “who are you two anyway?”

  
  


“I’m Stigmata!” She introduced happily “I’m an apprentice builder from Cantlin! And this is my best friend, Malroth, we’re helping rebuild Furrowfield farm! We were actually looking for seeds right now but we ran into you two!”

  
  


“A builder?!” Saffron exclaimed before cowering again “oh no, no, no! The Children of Hargon won’t accept this!! Such heresy! Leave at once!!”

  
  


“Nonsense! That sounds like great fun!!” The little girl said, her eyes shining “my name is Lillian, and this is my older sister, Saffron! We’ll gladly come back with you to this farm, Stigmata! So long as you keep your disrespectful friend away from a lady like myself that is!”

  
  


Malroth scoffed and glared at Lillian as Saffron wailed in anguish and moved as far away from Stigmata as possible.

  
  


“No!” Saffron yelled “you can’t make me go to this farm!! I won’t be a builder, not now, not ever!!”

  
  


Stigmata giggled and pulled out her map before locating Furrowfield Farm and watching the glowing  **X** appear.

  
  


“You can’t make me move!!”

  
  


“Oh~I think I can!”

  
And with that, the apprentice builder pressed the glowing  **X** as they were all warped back to Furrowfield Farm.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Everyone~! I hope you enjoy my first work here on AO3 and don't be afraid to leave comments or suggestions on how I can improve my writing! I hope you fall in love with Stigmata as much as I have and if you haven't played Dragons Quest Builders 2 all the way through there WILL be spoilers. Obviously.


End file.
